Lost Secrets
by YourStory
Summary: Ginny thought she left Tom at the Chamber of Secrets five years ago. Draco Malfoy thought he'd grow up to be a Death Eater like his father. All things change when an unwelcome appearance that is sometimes called fate arrives. Not your usual story.
1. Escape

It was late August where he sat, toes halfway in the thick, lush grass surrounding this haven. His black slacks hovered over his ankle that had once been unseen, previously covered by thick black boots. A person observing from far away, perhaps fifty feet, would assume the boy in the grass was playing with a strange, red-headed doll. Someone closer, that is, someone quiet enough to get close to the clever teen would realise that the boy was not playing with the doll, he was _destroying it._

The dark haired teenager held a small, fold-in knife in the palm of his hand, where he would visciously slice the red-headed doll through the chest, causing the stuffing to fall out with ease. Soon after the doll was sliced through, however, it magically repaired itself, returning to it's original form, letting the boy continue on his torture of the inatimate fluff. Any viewing person perhaps now would have fled in terror, if not from the doll, but the boy, all the while grinning in inhuman pleasure, his deep, ageless grey eyes lighting up in utter amusement.

Of course, there was no other existing being in this plane, smaller than it seemed, the infinite stretch of grass giving the illusion of plenty of space was to be found. Unfortunately, it was not.

The boy played with the doll a bit longer, it next turning to a boy-doll, with black hair like his own, but round spectacles and what looked curiously like a lighting-bolt scar on his forehead, but almost unnoticable, what with the messy hair atop his head. The boy did the same to the boy-doll as he did to the redhead girl-doll, severing it's torso from it's legs, only to reappear again, good as new.

Soon the teen grew bored, as all sixteen year olds do eventually, and the doll disappeared, along with the knife. The boy then crossed his hand, palm facing the scenery, as though he was going to wipe an invisible blackboard.

"Enough of this." He said to noone.

Immediately the scenery changed to the original look this small plane harbored. A black, pure black room, decorated with swirling, lazy purple lights. He liked this darkness, but sometimes it grew tiresome to be in the same place day in and day out, and he liked to flex his last remaining powers available in this plane. He had deduced that, after his first estimated month in the plane, that his powers were not on the fritz but something far worse.

"They were taken from me." Tom Riddle said angrily.

He had been here three months, he had guessed, ever since that fool of a mudblood Potter destroyed his diary, therefore plunging hin into this realm. He had assumed it was a form of the spirit world, and perhaps, after reading so much on the different planes of death while he was still as student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this one was where the near-dead stayed until they were truly dead, by means of their location. Since Tom had been sent to this place from Hogwarts itself, he resided here, the least likely place another person would die. Damn. Tom was hoping one would fall into this realm, better even if it were someone that fool Harry Potter and that foolish pure-blood Ginevra Weasley were close to, so he could finally kill them. Properly.

But still Tom waited, in vain, maybe, but he just had to wait for some foolish child to slip downstairs, or get eaten by that giant squid Ginevra had mentioned. He felt it in his bones, Tom knew he would be out soon, to return to Hogwarts and wreak the vengance he has waited for.

Bookbag slung over his shoulder, his silvery blonde hair perfectly trimmed and every hair in place, the saucy seventeen year old Draco Malfoy sauntered into his Charms class just as the loud bell signaled the beginning of class. He sat in the farthest seat of the room as usual, greeting a few of the females in his House with a sexy half-smile on his way there, taking his book from his bag, wand from pocket and laying them on the empty desk.

"Vincent and Gregory in trouble again?" Pansy asked sweetly from in front of him. She looked slightly miffed that she didn't recieve the smile reserved for the more attractive girls in the class but didn't mention it. "At least he didn't do that to a Hufflepuff." He knew she was thinking.

"Yeah, McGonagall caught them stuffing rotten bakery items into Creeveys trousers." Draco replied, pulling out some parchment and quill as he waited for Professor Flitwick to arrive.

"They didn't try to eat them first?" Pansy questioned him

"Of course they did. They had them in their robes when it went through the wash, apparently, before eating them. Or trying to, that is." he added.

"Mmm." She replied as Flitwick strode into the room.

"Ok, boys and girls,"he said in a squeaky voice, natural for one of his size, a puny two feet tall. "you can put your books and parchment away for now, we are going to learn the Reductor Charm. Now everyone stand up with your wands and place yourselves away from the tables!" He near shouted.

Waving his wand, he charmed the tables to slide to the walls, leaving plenty of room in the center for half of the school to sit inside comfortably. He spelled some cushions to soar into the student's arms, and Draco caught his deftly.

Once the Professor saw to it that every student had his or her own cushion, he taught them the spell.

"Now, the Reductor Charm is simple to use, mostly for those who need to get a solid object out of their way, like a student of the school actually used three years ago in the Triwizard Tournment!" He cried.

Draco knew he was talking about Potter, his arch enemy, the half-blood that sent his father to Azkaban two years ago. He felt a wave of hate boil his blood and he relaxed as he set his mind to the task of learning this ridiculous spell.

"All you need to do, kids, is point your wand at the cushion and say: Reducto! And, with luck, you will blast a hole straight through it! Practice with this and please repair the pillows after you use the spell!." And he left to his desk next to Draco, drinking from this hideously large drinking goblet. Since they were lined up facing another person, in front of him, about ten feet was a Hufflepuff Draco recognized vaguely as Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Finch-Fletchley was trying to blow a hole in his cushion that was laid on the floor before him, but kept saying the word wrong.

"Reducktoe" He said, shaking his wand wildly, now no longer pointed at the pillow. Draco rolled his eyes as he resumed to charming his pillow. Reducto, you stupid badger, Draco said to himself. He held his wand high...

"Educto!" Justin's voice pierced into his thoughts. He was about to look up when he heard the shattering of glass, the sqeaky shout of Flitwick, and a horrible pain in Draco's abdomen, worse even when his father used to practice some torture curses on him when he was in trouble.

Draco looked down. Inside his chest was a large, thick pane of glass from one of the windows behind him. Feeling it jut from his back, the sharp, thick piece of glass protuded from his chest in a point. Without even looking, Draco knew that the end of the glass was shaped almost like a sythe. Putting his hand to the wound, he tried to pull the foot long wedge of glass out of his abdomen weakly. Instead, he only managed to slice his fingers up severely. Mind swimming, hearing nothing but his heart trying in vain to pump to his brain, he slid down to the floor as he gave into the pain and saw nothing but black.

Ginny plopped on the bed in her four-poster bed in the sixth years girls room, weary after a long day. Double Potions with Snape and Transfiguration with McGonagall, she was pooped! After a quick lunch, Ginny ran up to her room to rest during study hour instead of meeting her friend, Luna Lovegood in the library. Entering the common room, she had ignored Hermione and Harry, who were engaging in tonsil hockey in a far corner of the room, nearly running into Ron, who had been on his way out. Now in her room, she spelled herself with a simple alarm charm to awaken in an hour. She was rather stresed lately. The workload her teachers had thrownd on her in her sixth year seemed worse even during their OWL's last year. She hoped skipping Study Hour will help her relax and get some more rest, and if she was lucky she could avoid the nightmares of Tom that had plagued her since she was eleven. Nightmares that left her crying when she woke. Not that it happened every night, she thought to herself. just more than she wanted, that's all.

She wished more than ever now that she could have someone to confide in. Luna was a great friend, and she could tell her things about the Dark Lord that none, other than Harry, Hermione and Ron of course knew of, but Ginny was looking for a different kind of friend. A boy-friend. Maybe not boyfriend, but someone she can look to for guidance, now that all of her brothers were so busy. Charlie and Bill were both out of the country, working both in the Order and doing their respectable jobs as a dragon keeper and Gringotts treasure-searcher. Percy was still Weasley trouble, and still won't go home. Fred and George were both having massive success at their joke shop, Weasley's Wizards Wheezes, too busy to visit Ginny. And Ron... Ginny tried to understand why her closest brother was avoiding not only her, but Harry and Hermione, Ron's closest friends. Ever since Harry and Hermione got together towards the end of their sixth year, Ginny's fifth, Ron had started avoiding being with them all the time. He still was around them, but when Harry and Hermione got the titles as Head Boy and Girl, she almost didn't even see them together at all. Ginny tried to force these thoughts from her mind and will her body to sleep. Her eyes feeling more and more similar to lead, she gave in to her exhaustion and slept. And dreamt.

Tom could feel it in his blood, the way his ancient cells twisted in and out in a torrent, his beating heart. It was finally time. He had been reclining in a straight backed chair, a deep green, when he saw it. A momentary flicker of another existance. Getting up from the chair, he walked to where he thought he saw it.

_Saw it_. He thought to himself. It was no illusion, he knew.

He waited. And after one agonizing minute, It appeared again, disappearing after only two seconds. Twice as long as last time, he waited. The boy looked so familiar. He reminded Tom of someone that he couldn't place. Someone Ginevra had spoken of once, so long ago. Then, by the time the boy appeared again, Tom already had a plan.

After only thirty seconds, he appeared, not even seeming to notice Tom, and he jumped, straight into the figure and felt the sucking motion not unlike being pulled in by a portkey. Or diary. Tom couldn't help but laugh insanely as he knew he was returning to Hogwarts, to home. And to finally exact his revenge.

_Ginny was talking to Tom again. She watched him come up to her, to take her to the Chamber of Secrets. She pulled away from him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her, hard._

"No, stop Tom! I don't want to go with you!"

"Ginny!"

"Leave me alone! Go away!"

"Ginny!"

She woke up. Luna was in her room, her raven earrings dangling from her ears. Luna had been shaking the redhead by the shoulders, urging her to awaken from her sleep. Glancing at the clock she saw class started in twenty minutes, but that didn't explain why Luna woke her and how she got in Gryffindor tower.

"Hermione let me in." Luna answered her thoughts.

Ginny sat up, her blanket on the floor. Luna sat at another of the girls beds as Ginny swiftly threw the blanket on her bed, detirmined not to talk about her dream. Luna seemed to understand as Ginny sat back down on her bed.

"So what's the alarm, Luna?" Ginny asked her blonde friend.

"I thought you would appreciate the news." Luna gossiped. Ginny hoped it had better be good to wake her up, but she somehow knew that Luna had known she needed to be risen from the terror of her nightmare.

"What happened?" she asked at last.

"Draco Malfoy was nearly killed in Charms class about, half an hour ago."

"What?!" Ginny was truly shocked. She never liked the older boy, his hatred for her family and her friends left no love lost. She still, however, felt a stab of sympathy as Luna described what had happened to the handsome Slytherin.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley, you know, that 7th year Hufflepuff had misdirected a spell at a window behind Malfoy instead of the pillow he was supposed to be aiming at. He said the spell wrong, and instead of it blowing a hole in the window, he had said a curse that apparently spears destiny to the one worthy of it. At least, that's what McGonagall said when some kids had asked her. When the window was hit, it sent a huge pointed chunk of itself straight at Malfoy. He's in the hospital wing now. They're trying to somehow get the glass out of him without killing him."

"So we don't know if he's gonna live or not?" She asked Luna. She shook her head.

"They don't know, but I do. He will live." Luna said confidently. Ginny was bewildered. What was happening at Hogwarts?


	2. Tom Goes Back to School

Chapter two: Tom goes back to school.

Draco was awake. He had been awake for about two hours, but he was unable to move his body, or even open his eyes. He could hear people talking around him, but it was muffled like it would sound if he wasn't really listening. Draco remembered what happened in Charms class and he assumed he was in the hospital wing, if not in St. Mungo's. Father's probrably raising hell. Draco thought to himself as he recognized Lucius' voice.

_Yes, he does sound angry, doesn't he? _A foreign voice said, as the voices became much clearer.

_What the hell_, he tried to say, but he found he could not speak. He realised that he had no control of his body, and, Draco had no other way to put it, the voice in his head chuckled wickedly.

_Understanding now, are you? _The voice said, and he felt a pain as he knew, without a doubt, that this visitor was accessing all of his memories, from his father verbally abusing him when Potter won once again at Quidditch, even to when he was on the Inquisitorial Squad for that foolish woman Umbridge, who he hated but founded and joined for the benefit of his father. This person saw every embarassment, every failure, every painful memory and even the good ones but this ruthless individual seemed particular to the more painful ones. Finally he seemed to know enough about Draco and released his hold, but Draco still had no control over his body and now felt the presence of him, Draco singled him out to a male at least, now that he was awake.

_Who are you? Draco said to him._

_Well, since we will be sharing this body for awhile, I suppose you may know my name. It is Tom. Tom Riddle._

_Ok, Riddle, why in the bloody hell are you in my body, and how did you get the fuck in here?_

Draco could almost feel him smile.

_Well you see, Draco, when you went and got yourself fucked up at whatever you did earlier, your spirit flickered in my plane, and, to my great fortune of course, I followed your spirit back to your body, and what do you know, here I am. But unfortunately, you came with and that wasn't the plan. Sadly for you, I am in control, and I will wreak the vengance I deserve, get my powers back from Potter, and become even greater than my future self is now! _

_So were you a ghost or something? Were you dead? _Draco thought to Riddle. Draco thought that his name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.

_Of course my name sounds familiar to you. Your father only follows my future self, you insolent child. _Tom answered his unspoken thought

Draco's insides seemed to disappear as he realised just who he was talking to. He remembered Lucius telling him the true story four years ago, shortly after Ginny Weasley was recovered from the Chamber of Secrets, that Tom Riddle, Voldemort as a boy in Hogwarts had crammed his memory into a diary and Lucius had given Weasley the book. Draco had thought it was a good idea to get a Weasley messed up in it, but it didn't work. Weasley had gotten off, because of Potter, saving the bloody day once again and keeping his nose out of the dirt.

_About time you understand, Draco Malfoy. _Riddle jeered.

Riddle sounded a little more exited about murdering Potter than he enjoyed, since the murder would most likely be committed in his body. He had to think of something to do.

_Don't bother, young Draco. I will kill the preteen Potter and the brat Weasley and you will not stop me._

Preteen? It was the last thing he said to Riddle as the parasitic boy opened his own eyes and saw the view before him.

Tom Riddle opened Draco's eyes, and saw Dumbledore, though much more ancient than he was when Tom was in school, a short wizard Tom recognized vaguely as the Charms teacher that had started in his sixth and final year before he had poured this self into the diary, retaining only the memories of that time and before. The other three in the room were Madame Pomfrey, what looked like Draco's father by what Tom had seen in Draco's memories, and a tall, hooked nosed older man with greasy black hair that Tom didn't know. None of the visitors noticing he was awake, they continued with their conversation.

"Please, Albus, Mr. Malfoy, I must tend to my patient. Young Malfoy will be fine in my care if you would just leave me to my job! " Madame Pomfrey tittered about, trying to get past Dumbledore and Malfoy, carrying a vat of potion labeled Glass-away. Flitwick was sitting on another bed, in tears, and the hook-nosed wizard was speaking to Dumbledore and Malfoy, who were in a heated discussion.

"You are lucky that I am not sending that boy to Azkaban for nearly killing my son! I want him sent straight to St. Mungo's for _real, professional _treatment, not some cracked up nurse here, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore seemed calm as he had his hand pressed together in front of him that was so familiar to Tom. Before speaking he let Pomfrey pass him as she ran straight to Tom and began to slathe the Glass-away on his wound that Tom could see was about one foot long protuding from his chest. Before he began to vomit, Tom returned to listening to Dumbledore. He could feel Draco try to make his way back in control, but Tom pulsed one more shot of power towards the boy and he desisted.

"Mr. Malfoy, Madame Pomfrey, before being a nurse at Hogwarts recieved ten years of training by St. Mungo's great granddaughter. She is just as qualified and just as sane as any healer in St. Mungo's. Your son is safe here Malfoy, you have nothing to fear." Dumbledore said to Malfoy. "Severus is also here to aid Madame Pomfrey with any potions she needs made." Dumbledore gestured to the hook nosed man who nodded slightly.

Lucius looked first to Dumbledore, Severus, Pomfrey and then to Tom. "If anything happens to him or he gets worse he will go straight to St. Mungo's." He swept from the room.

Madame Pomfrey finished applying the salve. Tom heard Draco think he now knew why Potter seemed to hate the hospital wing. Dumbledore saw that Tom, or Draco that is, was awake, He told him to take a potion by his side and Tom did, only because he couldn't leave now, even if he tried. Besides, it could give him some time to dream up great ways to pull off this double murder best. Maybe he'll even kill the old man while he was at it. No, maybe not Dumbledore.... he's.... too....powerful....

And so Tom drifted lazily into the potion induced sleep. Much later, Draco did the same.

The Gryffindor common room was full to bursting at eight o'clock, but Ginny didn't care. She managed to squeeze herself in a table with some fellow sixth years as some chatted to each other, but the rest worked on homework like herself. She usually got her homework done quickly, preferring being alone to a crowd of classmates. Ginny would have gone to the library, and almost did, but heard the Slytherins had taken the space and were doling out punishments to those who dared venture during their studying. Normally she would have gone anyway and deflected the curses sent her way, but she was too tired and settled for the crowdy common room.

Hermione and Harry were playing wizard chess, while Ron was looking on, a rare sight. Hermione had a look of utter concentration on her face as she cautiously placed her queen three spaces to the right and the look on her face when Harry took her king was priceless. Her and many other students stopped their previous activities and looked on as Hermione blew up.

"But! But! Look! I can get you... no, I can't. Just you wait, Harry. I know you cheated!" Hermione shrieked, and began to examine every piece on the board, detirmined to find a way out of her checkmate.

Chuckling, Ginny resumed to her homework, starting first on Ancient Runes, then Transfiguration and Potions. Ginny barely noticed the time fly by as students left to bed, and by midnight, as Ginny put a final mark on her Potions essay with a flourish, she got up to find herself the only one in the common room, something that had never before happened.

Feeling not in the least bit as sleepy as she was earlier, Ginny took her homework upstairs to her dormitory, grabbed her robes and pulled them on. She knew it was much later than midnight, the curfew for sixth and seventh years, but she didn't care. Feeling brave, she thought she'd adventure Hogwarts.

Later, many a year from now, Ginny would ask herself what made her leave Gryffindor common room on that chilly October night, but fate has a way of intervening when something must be done, and Ginny unconsiously led her body to the Hospital wing, curiosity getting ahold of her as she decided to open the door to the room where Draco was held when she found herself there.

Opening the door on silent hinges, Ginny crept into the room, closing it quietly behind her. To the left Ginny knew it was where Madame Pomfrey slept, and she past by swiftly, not wanting to be punished by the stern witch. Her fuzzy maroon slippers christened with the Gryffindor crest slid along the polished floors and soon she was upon the sleeping figure of Draco Malfoy. Ginny always thought he was remarkably handsome, with his strong chin, silvery eyes that were open although his even breathing told her he was indeed sleeping. His silver-blonde hair that resembled a veela that was usually kept perfectly perched atop his head was now matted down with sweat and blood. Ginny observed the huge hunk of glass that had been inside his chest was now gone, replaced by grey substance drip dripping onto the floor. He looked so feverish. Beads of sweat glistened on his perfect forehead and without thinking Ginny pulled up the arm of her robe and wiped it off. Suddenly realising what she was doing, she fell back from the sleeping boy, landing on an empty bed that made a clattering sound as she knocked off the empty vat of glass-away that had been set there.

Knowing Madame Pomfrey must have heard it, Ginny flew from the room, cursing her on her stupidity to even see the boy who has hated her since the day they laid eyes on each other. Just as she closed the door to the hallway, she listened fearfully as Madame Pomfrey went straight to Draco's bed, convinced the witch could hear her frantically beating heart. Soon after the nurse's footsteps subsided, Ginny continued the trek up the seven flights of stairs.

Stupid, Ginny cursed herself as she hid behind a secret staircase behind a worn tapestry as Filch wen past, muttering curses under his breath having stubbed his toe on the statue of Medea down the hallway. After almost twenty minutes, Ginny reached the Fat Lady's portrait, her sleepiness back with a vengence. Barely making it into her dormitory room, Ginny crashed into her bed with such force she felt a spring bust. Sleep overcame her and she thought no more.

Draco was still awake. He guessed it was past midnight, but Tom was asleep. Apparently the potion didn't effect him in this state. When Tom had fallen asleep, Draco had tried to regain control of his body. It was difficult. The only thing he had managed was to open his eyes and now he couldn't close them. Luckily the air in the room had little movement and his fragile eyes were safe from being damaged, but now he could see. His eyes were positioned to a view of the ceiling, and Draco spent the first ten minutes of this freedom counting the tiles. Three hours later and he was almost ready to fall asleep like his little friend. Just as he was about to give up and drift off, he heard a sound. Thinking it was at first Madame Pomfrey checking up on him, Draco ignored it. Then a flash of red hair swam in his face and he focused on it. It was Ginny Weasley.

When Weasley was eleven, he thought she was pretty in a little kid way, but now that she was older, Draco saw a gorgeous teenager looking at him with such pity and sorrow in her blood-shot eyes. Under her amber eyes were dark circles, telling him lack of sleep caused those perfect brown ovals such distress. He watched her look down at what he assumed was his wound, and back up to his hair. He had been in a state of fever, a side effect to the potion that had been administered to his wound, and he watched with a mixed feeling of awe, hate and something else he couldn't identify as Ginny wiped his sweaty forehead with her tattered robe, concern and something else across her face as she looked straight into his eyes. Oh, she was so close to him. Draco knew that if he could move now he would have closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers... No! What was he thinking? He hated the brat! Ginny seemed to have a similar thought as himself and she pushed herself from his form and backed away to where Draco couldn't see her. Something crashed to the floor and heard Weasley leave the hospital wing when soon Madame Pomfrey joined him to tut at his opened eyes and closed them softly. Draco then decided now was the time to sleep, and not think of the girl who had awoken such desires in his mind and heart.

Two weeks later Tom was allowed to leave the hospital wing but only after he had agreed to have someone escort him to all his classes. Finding someone called Pansy Parkinson had agreed to chaperone him through the day, Tom let himself to the bathroom in the hospital wing and cleaned up. He looked like a mess, but the first thing that had surprised him was not the hole in his versache sweatshirt, or the blood in his veela-hair, but his age. By reading Draco's memories, not seeing them as Draco had assumed he did, he had thought that Draco and Harry Potter were in the same year. Ginevra had even mentioned Draco Malfoy who had teased her when she had given Potter a valentine that she had composed.

_"Hey, what year are we in, Draco?" _Tom asked his host

_"Seventh, and so is Potter, you dolt." _Draco sneered

_"You lie. And don't be cheeky." _Tom added.

_"We are in seventh, Potter and myself. We are both seventeen. Five years have passed Riddle."_

_"I don't believe you."_

_"Well. Not my problem."_ Draco finished

Fuming, Tom cleaned up, only because he wanted to give off the impression he was fine to get to the library. He knew he needed to look in the Restricted Section to see what it said about this particular situation. No mistakes.

"Draco sweetheart, it's time for us to go to class. You don't want to miss Potions, do you?" A sickly sweet voice sounded from outside the bathroom. Tom opened it. Directly in front of him stood a fantastically hideous girl of about his supposed age. She was staring at his chest, and he thought it was because she wanted to see if it was healed but realised it was because he had taken off his shirt, exposing his well toned, pale muscles. In front of her she held a dark green sweatshirt, probrably his smallest, and what Draco had thought to him to be the leather pants Pansy had bought him in hopes he would wear it. In public. She also had a nice set of robes that Tom hoped would hide the ridiculous clothing that Pansy had picked for him.

"Thanks," Tom muttered, resisting the urge to curse her. He closed the door behind him and changed quickly in the bathroom, and examined himself in the mirror. The Draco boy's face was probrably paler than usual because of the blood loss, but he looked fine. Enlargening the leather pants a bit, Tom left the bathroom and Pansy carried his books for him as they went downstairs to Potions.

It was how Tom remembered it. Dark, dank and damp, it was Tom's favourite class when he was in school. He seated himself next to Pansy. The other students were already present and the teacher, Severus, Tom remembered him being called was in the middle of lecturing the class. Professor Severus nodded at him, apparently that was his way at recognising his arrival, and Tom scanned the classroom, looking around the throngs of Gryffindors and Slytherins to find Potter. If he was here, he was indeed much older, which made his job of murdering him even harder. Yes. There he was. He was seated between a bushy haired girl Ginevra had been afraid liked Potter and another redhead that looked like what Ginevra said was her brother, Ron.

Potter looked the same that he did five years ago, his eyes were gaunt and haunted though, as if he had grown up sooner than he should have. His hand grasped the bushy haired girls... Hermione was her name, with such intensity that he seemed afraid he would lose her if he let go.

_"Looks like Potter got lucky,"_ Tom said to himself. Draco laughed inside his head.

The potion was simple. Tom got to it quickly, surpassing Pansy and the rest of the class. Tom had taught himself it when he was in fifth year, finding it created an extremely powerful aphrodisiac when he added Yohimbe, a rare plant that had been lurking in the old man Professor Figg's herbology geenhouse.

_"Too much information, Riddle." _Draco said to him.

_"I didn't use it for myself. I mixed it in the Hufflepuff's food and in some of the teachers'. It caused hell, let me tell you that. A few teachers sent to Azkaban for a month for breaching the student/teacher law. Rape isn't a nice thing.' _Tom laughed aloud and Pansy looked at him thoughtfully before continuing on her potion.

After only twenty minutes, the potion was finished and Tom put in a glass beaker and delivered it to the Professor.

"Professor Severus, here is my potion." Tom said when he reached the teacher's desk. Some of his ass-kissing rose up again from earlier years. Draco groaned but Tom ignored him.

"What did you call me, Draco?" Severus asked him

"Professor Severus, sir." Tom replied politely. Draco started to laugh.

"Draco, as close as your father and I no doubt are, and as you are in my house I will not deduct points. When we meet, you will call me Professor Snape. Whether your brain had been addled in your accident is left to be seen. Thank you for your potion. You may return to your seat and catch up on the homework you have missed for the last two weeks." He then proceeded to pull a small stack of papers from his desk and handed it to Tom. He walked back to his desk numbly, embarassment heating his face.

_"Why didn't you tell me Severus was his _first _name?" _Tom nearly screamed to Draco

_"You, er, didn't ask?" _Draco nearly choked from laughing

_"You pungent pile of stinkfish. I will kill you as soon as I get the chance so help me!" _Tom was furious.

But Draco was laughing so hard inside Tom's head that Draco didn't even hear him. Tom sent a bolt of power at the boy and he finally shut up.

An hour and a half later and Snape was telling the other students to fill their beakers with potion and take it to his desk. By that time Tom had finished Draco's homework, being unable to leave without Pansy. He handed the completed work to Snape who raised his greasy eybrows in surprise as he took the stack of parchment and let him leave. Hoisting his bookbag on his shoulder, he left the dungeon with Pansy close behind him and he entered the great hall to breakfast. Potter was in front of him and Tom couldn't resist being childish and putting a curse on the boy.

_"Bestia!"_ He whispered, and pointed Draco's wand at Potter's bookbag.

As soon as the words left Tom's mouth, Potter's bookbag opening turned into a mouth and with razor sharp teeth bit into Harry's shoulder. Harry yelled and Hermione Granger thought quick and put a stunning spell on the bag. Gryffindors from all sides rushed to his aid and he was soon lost in a throng of red and gold. Great. Because of the threat of his older self after Potter, all of his house were just waiting to aid him. He was completely protected. Tom knew he would be the hardest of the two to kill, and decided then and there to go after Ginevra first.

Tom quickly did the charm to sprout water from his wand and ended it, incase they checked wands for the creater of the spell. Pansy hadn't noticed Tom do the spell, but did see Potter being attaked and had looked on with childish glee as he was taken to the hospital wing by thirty Gryffindors.

Taking his seat after Pansy, Tom ate with great pleasure, the feeling of eating almost orgasmic. One month in the plane, but apparently five years, and the fifty in the diary, Tom missed food. He helped himself to the kippers and thick, wheaty rolls slathered with butter. It was heaven. Lunch had never been his favourite class when he was still a student at Hogwarts, but he didn't realise how much he really missed it. What he really wanted was to go to his library and read up on the current events, get his facts straight. Maybe even raid the Restricted Section. Again. Tom smiled to himself as Pansy got up and he followed her downstairs to Herbology outside.

The professor of the class, who he learned to be Professor Sprout, a dumpy little witch with gray flyaway hair. Sprout led them to Greenhouse number seven, the most dangerous and hazardous greenhouse in Hogwarts, one Tom had snuck into in his fifth year and killed the rarest specimen, a Yohimbe, after it tried to attack him. He managed to retrieve it's leaves and had concocted the potion that got all of those teachers in trouble. Good times. Sprout began to teach them the prophetic effects of the Zacate- something leaves. and Tom zoned out, tempted to cut the braids of the Ravenclaw in front of him and attach them to her-

"Draco, dear, are you feeling alright?" Pansy asked him as they stood up to leave. Sprout handed Tom his homework from two weeks previously and he put them in his bookbag as he sauntered from the greenhouse, lost in memories of a better time.

"I'm fine, why?" He replied, going down the slope to Care of Magical Creatures class.

"Well, Drakie, you seem a bit off. You aren't terrorising the Hufflepuffs, picking fights with Gryffindors, and you are quiet. Where is my Drakie?"

"Would you _stop_ with the pet names?" Tom said angrily whirling to face her, his abdomen hurting at the sudden twist. Pansy paled. Later she would tell her girlfriends that she saw something different in Draco's eyes. It seemed like his silvery eyes were veined and rimmed black. Sinister,almost. But she didn't say anything to him, but instead directed him to the oaf Hagrid's hut.

For the second time in a day, he was visited once again with the presence of Potter. He had missed his History of Magic class, according to a gossiping Gryffindor to another, and was treated with some anti venom salve. Madame Pomfrey said it was Dark Magic that had caused the bookbag to do that and the Headmaster was talking to witnesses all day. Soon the chattering stopped when a huge man that Tom remembered was the little brat he blamed for the murder of that girl, Myrtle over fifty years ago. The oaf began by taking out the creature of the day, a Lethifold. He told the students that Lethifolds were very dangerous and were in this form before they were turned into Dementors by Unspeakables to guard Azkaban. He continued to say that the only way to deflect a Lethifold is the Patronus charm, a being made from pure happiness, but that was for them to learn in Defence Against the Dark Arts. At the end of the boring and dangerous class, Hagrid put the Lethifold in a gently pulsing orblike container that sealed seamlessly. Tom wanted to take it, but Pansy was leading him to the castle where they enjoyed a nice dinner and Dumbledore announced he would find out what had happened to Harry and end the threat before it hurt anyone else. Tom heard the veiled threat, but he left to bed in the Slytherin common room, password being _Arsenic_. He knew that all of the other students would stay in the common room until very late, so he said goodnight to Pansy and two huge goons who slapped him on the back and went to bed for a couple of hours of sleep until the rest went to bed.

Draco directed Tom to his bed, and he undressed, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he did so. In his nightclothes he lay upon the velvet sheets, under the thick cotton blanket and thought no more.


	3. Symbolism

Chapter three: Symbolism

_Ginny was in the Chamber again. She didn't see Tom, and she was relieved. The Chamber was darker than she remembered, and she could barely see in front of her, so it didn't matter if he was there or not. She stood up and tried to find a way out, and her palms hit a damp, mossy wall when she outstreched her arms. Ginny used that as a way to go and she walked with her right hand on the wall, her left in front of her, and walked blindly through the dark. She was doing well, but sooner or later she would do a full circle and Ginny knew for some reason that she would not get out; that Harry was not going to save her this time. Something hit Ginny's foot, and, not expecting the sudden resistance, fell. _

_The second her hands reached the wet floor, the room illuminated. Ginny found quickly that she was not on the floor as she had thought, but on a massave snake, a basilisk, and it was looking straight into her eyes and she his. Yet she was alive. Astonished that the serpent's murderous gaze did not kill her, Ginny sat up more comfortably on the snake, either leg over it's large gerth. She felt safe with the serpent, though she did not know why, and the snake, sensing her trust transformed into Tom, with a teacup on his head like a hat. When he had become himself, Ginny found her legs now straddled Tom, her hands on his upper waist, their position not unlike how two lovers would embrace. Ginny wasn't sure whether she wanted to get off of him, and made to sit up, but Tom put his arms around her waist and eased her body lower, to where her lips were mere inches from his own. She could feel a lump pulsating from under her legs, from Tom, but all thoughts were wiped from her mind as the teen kissed her full on the lips, weaving his tongue in and out of her mouth not unlike a serpent. After her shock had subsided, Ginny joined him and unconsiously pressed her body closer to his. Tom noticed and put his hands on her bare legs and up her skirt a bit. She shuddered and kissed him harder. Tom stopped and pulled away from her._

_"Tom, what's wrong? You said you loved me." she asked him, although she could not remember him telling her so._

_"Time for me to go. Bye, bye, birdie." Tom held a gleaming knife in his hand. Ginny gasped. Before she could stop him, he plunged the knife deep into his chest, spraying blood directly where Ginny's heart was. _

_Crying, Ginny pulled the knife from his body and threw it. She tried to get him to breathe, but it was too late. He was dead._

_"NOOOOO! Oh, god, no!" _

Thankfully, she woke up.

She was in her bed, tears streaming down her face. That was the first time she had a... sexual dream about Riddle, she thought to herself. Usually she just ran from him in fear. The thought back to the last time she dreamt of Riddle before this. Over two weeks ago. What was going on? Ginny knew Luna was in Trelawney's class, and she'd studied dreams last year. Maybe Luna could help her figure out why these dreams were plaguing her in the first place. She was decided. Checking the clock on her wall displaying a late ten in the evening, Ginny threw on some clothes. A red sweatshirt and school skirt were just fine, along with one of her robes. Pulling her sleep-hair into a ponytail, she exited her room, went down the stairs, avoided her classmates, and headed towards Ravenclaw's secret passageway. The statue of Medea was only one floor down, so she took her time, looking at the portraits, something she hasn't done since second year. She was just staring at the picture of Alucard, Dracula's brother, when she ran into something solid. It was Draco Malfoy.

"Weasley." he said, evenly. His silver eyes, rimmed in black widened as he looked her up and down. Ginny thought he reacted as though he had never met her.

"Malfoy" she replied, without the staring.

Malfoy seemed to regain his composure, and grinned wickedly. "Whatcha doing out so late, Weasley? You might want to be careful. You never know if someone is going to," at this he pulled his wand out and twirled it seductively "come out and surprise you. Understand?" he put his wand away.

"Better watch your mouth, Malfoy, or I'll turn your ears to cabbages." Ginny replied scathingly. This boy made her so angry! She doesn't know why she was nice enough to wipe the brow of this ungrateful, spoiled brat!

"Oh, frightening words, Weasley. Maybe I should shut your mouth myself." he pulled his wand out again and muttered a hex under his breath. Ginny's mouth sealed shut.

Angry, but unable to take the hex off, Ginny slapped him in the face and left in a huff. She knew Luna would be able to take it off, but now she had to find some way to get inside her common room without speaking.

Luckily some Ravenclaws were just leaving and Ginny slid in before the statue of Medea closed. She made it. Luna wasn't in the common room so she went down the girls hallway and stopped at the sixth year's door. She knocked and went inside. Luna was in the room, sitting at one of the seven desks that were along the wall. Ginny passed by the seven bookcases that were full of each sixth year girl's books, something a Ravenclaw was famous for. The beds were on either side down the deepened area of it and Luna was at the far end. Reaching her friend, she observed what she was doing.

Luna was reading Real Myths; Real or Myth? with such concentration that Ginny was almost afraid to speak up, then remembered she couldn't. Instead, Luna did the interrupting for her and closed the book quietly and addressed the redhead; "Hey, Ginny, what's up?" Luna asked her.

Ginny gestured to her mouth, and opened and closed her hand like she was talking. Understanding, Luna pulled out her wand and muttered the counterhex. Instantly Ginny's mouth opened. "Thanks," she said.

"Who did it to you?" Luna asked

"Draco Malfoy" she answered, hating the memory.

"That seventh year Slytherin? Bad kid." Luna sympathised. "So, what did you want?"

"Well I thought you could help me with something, Luna." Ginny replied. Now that she was here she knew it would be harder to talk about the dream, that she'd have to relive it again. She pulled up a chair next to her and sat down.

"Is it about your dreams?" Luna questioned knowingly. Ginny nodded, and told her everything.

"... so I was hoping you could decipher it for me, since you are in Trelawney's class. I feel like it means something." Ginny finished

"Symbolism" Luna said in reply, and went to her bookcase and took out Dream Oracles from the shelf. Ginny was grateful and felt foolish. What made her think any Ravenclaw would get rid of a book?

"What do you mean, Luna?"

"Well we get the dream and take out the most prominent symbols. That would be basilisk, or snake, man, transformation, and darkness. We look it up in the Dream Oracle and see what it says." she sounded proud of her knowledge.

"Alright." she replied. Luna gave her a copy of the book and they split the words between themselves and wrote the meaning on some parchment. Ten minutes later they found them all and discussed the results.

"Ok, mine were man and transformation, and this is what I got." Luna started "Man means a domineering figure, or someone the dreamer looks up to. Could also relate to dark magic and anger. Transformation is a change the dreamer must make, or a change that has already begun. Usually pertains to destiny if the transformation is to a human, death if an animal." she finished.

"Mine were basilisk and darkness." Ginny read from the book to get this exactly as she read it the first time. "Darkness usually descripts something the dreamer is hiding from, or something the dreamer fails to see. If the darkness consumes the dreamer, it usually means dark magic is abroad, and they should look for the source or be wary. And here's... here's the last one." Ginny nearly choked. The description scared her."Basilisk means great evil, or someone with a serpent-like personality. If the dreamer looked into the eyes of the Basilisk and died, it means evil will overcome the dreamer if they do not watch what they are doing. If the dreamer looked into it's eyes and lived, however, evil has already passed over the dreamer and left a stain. It will soon pass again over the dreamer, if not already, and try to do greater damage than before. " that was it.

"Oh, it's describing the Chamber, did you hear that?" Luna asked her. Ginny nodded.

"Yes, but it says evil is returning. Does that mean Tom is back?" Ginny asked her friend

"I.. I don't think so. Maybe it means you-know-is going to attack Hogwarts, or you-know-who is after you. We still haven't been able to figure out if Tom and you-know-who's memories collide, and if he knows about you." Luna guessed. Ginny was still scared.

"Any ideas as to what I could do?"

"Well, how about you take this tea I have. It has prophetic qualities. It may open your mind to what your consciousness is telling you." she offered

"What's in it?"

"It's called Zacatechichi. It's an African plant. You ground the leaves and make tea from it. I got some from Professor Sprout."

"Okay. I'll take it." Ginny decided.

Luna took some leaves in a plastic package from her desk and emptied half of it into a metal teapot. She tapped the side once and steam spewed from the top, making the metal sing. Luna took the teapot and emptied it into a mug, handing it to Ginny. She drank it quickly, ignoring the soury taste, setting it on the desk when she was finished. Luna took it.

"Want me to read the tea leaves?"she asked

Ginny shook her head, feeling tired.

"No, I think I'm going to go to bed, Luna. Thanks for the tea. I'll tell you if I get anything from it."

Luna walked her out, a nice gesture, and they said goodbye at the entrance to the common room.

"Goodnight, Ginny." Luna called

"Night," Ginny answered. She couldn't wait to return to her warm bed and go back to sleep, but ran again into someone, the last person she wanted to see: Draco Malfoy. Again.

Tom left the enraged Ginevra to her temper as he continued down the hallway, nursing his pained face.

_"Oh, that was great, first Granger, now Weasley. We're Gryffindor magnets, Riddle. Beware_." Draco said to his parasitic visitor. Tom ignored him.

Tom was at the library. It was bigger than when he was in school, but not by much. Tom found three books that might help him: The Late Twentieth Century, 1950-1998, Dark Magic; Curses and Enchantments, an Experts Guide, and So you want to be a Death Eater. The last two Tom had snuck behind Madame Pomfrey to get, and when Draco had read the second title he had laughed himself hoarse. Tom silenced him with a mental look.

_"It might have a good curse or two, something updated." Tom said to him._

_"You know, before you strain my eyes trying to read those, how bout you listen to my idea, eh?" _Draco thought to him, and let Tom access to his thoughts, something Draco had finally learned to block. Tom did.

"You want me to be her friend?" Tom shrieked aloud. Madame Pomfrey kicked him out of the library and wouldn't let him take his books with him as a second punishment.

_"Yeah, don't you get it?" _Draco explained excitedly_ "We become her best friend, get her to trust us and then, wham! You betray her trust and kill her. Priceless."_

_"My, where is the excitement coming from Malfoy? Thought you didn't want to kill." _Tom replied coldly, but he was interested. It could work.

_"I realised this would be the best way for you to truly hurt her._ That_ would be exacting revenge if I ever heard of one_." Draco finished. Tom was decided.

"Good idea. I'll do it." Tom could already see a plan forming in his mind.

Turning the corner, Tom met up sooner with Ginny than he had expected. She seemed to be leaving wherever she had gone and hadn't seen him yet. He sped up to meet up with her sooner and she finally saw him. Anger flashed across her beautiful face.

When Tom had seen her for the first time in "five" years, he was surprised. He expected her to look a lot less pretty, and more Weasley like that odd girl he had killed, Myrtle Weasley. But she was gorgeous, Ginevra was. He had caught himself staring at her thin, perfect form when he had happened across her. She made him sweat. And this time was no different.

"Weasley.. eh, Ginny, I want to apologise." Tom stammered.

"Really?" Ginny's eyes widened in surprise but her icy gaze did not lessen if not intensify. "For twenty minutes ago, or for the past six years, Malfoy?"

"For all of it, actually. Everything. In fact.." he said quickly as he noticed she wanted to leave. "In fact, Ginevra, I want to.."

"TAKE HER TO HOGSMEADE ON HALLOWEEN, TO MAKE UP FOR IT YOU DOLT!" Draco yelled. Tom staggered at the force

"To what?" Weasley asked, still more than ready to leave.

"To take you to Hogsmeade to make up for it. I'm a dolt. I really am sorry." Tom said and almost felt as though he meant it.

Ginny's eyes rounded in surprise. "What, like a-a date or something?" she stammered.

"No! Just to hang out, I'll buy you a butterbeer, get you some new robes, try to..." he trailed off, realising without the help of Draco, who moaned in disbelief, that he had messed up.

Ginny's face began to redden in embarassment and anger. "Butterbeer? New robes? Geez, Malfoy, I actually thought for one second there you were serious. And if you were, buying my friendship with your father's blood money is not the way to go at it." she turned on her heel and left Tom and Draco standing there, dumbfounded. When Tom regained his composure, which he always does, he threw back on his mask of thought, knowing he'd have to work harder at this than he assumed.

"Girls," Tom said aloud

_"Yep."_ Draco thought back to him

Draco had thought it was a good idea when he told Riddle about making Weasley his friend first, before betraying the witch and killing her. Luckily Tom had never had the chance to read Draco's recent memory about Ginny at the hospital wing. He had woken up early enough before Riddle did to try to block his attacks and was successful. He knew that if Tom found that out, Riddle wouldn't agree if it was because Draco was falling for Ginny.

But he wasn't. The longer Draco kept Tom from hurting his foes Potter and Weasley, the more likely he would be able to control his body again and tell someone. If anything Draco was proud about himself for, it was his visciously detirmined Slytherin qualities. If he wanted something done, he either did it himself, or paid/bullied someone else to do it for him. Except for when it came with Potter, Weasley and Granger. But that's a different story for a different time. Draco had left the library with high spirits, that it may turn out okay after all, that Draco will regain his powers and take Tom out, but when Riddle had fudged up at what he said to Weasley, Draco began to fear that he would just kill the pretty redhead and get it over with, but Ginny had left unharmed, and Tom seemed even more detirmined to get her to trust him. Draco was impressed. He breathed again. This may work out. Just maybe.

_"You know, Malfoy, I like your idea." _Tom said, opening the wall to the Slytherin common room and reclining on a chair always saved for Draco_. "I haven't had a challenge in ages. Or a girlfriend." _he added as an afterthought

_"You mean to tell me you're going to make her fall for you, and you had a girlfriend before?" _Draco gasped

_"Yes, I'm going to make her fall for me and the last girlfriend I had was named Myrtle. Myrtle Weasley. No, not girlfriend, more like lover. She was the last female Weasley, until Ginevra that is. Interesting, isn't it?" _Tom smiled

_"That's pretty sick, Tom."_

_"They didn't call me Lord Voldemort for nothing, you know." _Tom felt Draco flinch

_"Yeah, don't remind me. But why are you going to try to get Ginevra... er, Weasley to be your girlfriend? Wouldn't that just defeat the purpose?"_ Draco asked him

_"Well, I must admit to you, Malfoy, that I haven't had a woman... pleasure me in quite some time. This would just kill two birds with one stone, if you catch my drift." _Tom explained

_"I get it."_

_"Good, now let's get some of this atrocious homework of yours done. Why am I bothering to do this, anyway?" _Tom inquired

_"Because if I don't get my work done we get kicked out or shoved in detention and can't make our masterful plan work?"_

_"Oh, right."_

_"Besides, don't you miss it?"_

_"No."_

_"Not even a little?"_

_"Nope."_

_"You sure?"_

_"Shut your mouth now or I'll ask Pansy Parkinson out."_

Draco said nothing. Tom grinned.

_"That's more like it."_

Ginny was tired. She couldn't wait to go to bed. After she spoke to Luna and left Malfoy dumbfounded, she left for bed immediately. Sinking into her comfy nightclothes, she leaned into the soft mattress and was out in no time.

_It was very dark where she was, but she was not scared. Ginny was not in the Chamber this time, but in an infinate void. She was not alone. In front of her was a beautiful African woman, dressed in traditional clothes from the Africas. She beckoned to Ginny and she went up to the thin charcoal black female, unafraid. The closer she got to the woman, the more the infinate void faded, to become instead an African paradise. Sand wiped against her feet, and when she had reached the woman, she could feel the heat of the sun. But the woman was gone. Instead stood a lion, who turned around and galloped across the desert, slow enough for Ginny to follow, but fast enough to keep her tired. And so she followed the gigantic lion, hoping it would lead her to where she wanted to go._

_Hours passed, but still the lion did not stop. Ginny's bare feet began to burn and blister, and more than once she wanted to stop to rest her feet, or better yet put them in the water that lined the path the lion was taking, but she knew better. This was a test, a test of her endurance, and if she passed it, she would find her answer._

_Finally, when Ginny thought she could take no more of the blistering heat, did the lion stop. It began to lap at a pond, a pond so pure and perfect, it made all of the other ones she had seen on this journey seem ugly. Knowing what to do, Ginny sat next to the lion, and after the beast had taken it's fill, did she put her feet in the water. Steam hissed from the pond and disappeared, leaving her feet in perfect condition, but the lion gone, replaced by the woman._

_"You drank from me, and you wish to know the truth, correct?" The African said to her, her voice pure as anything she had ever heard._

_"Yes."_

_"Someone you know is in danger. This person's destiny is entwined with your own. They are unable to speak to you, but you talk to them though it is not who you think it is. You must save this person, for love will be for you if you do, death if you don't. Are you willing to do this?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then go. Find the one, and save them."_

_"Will I remember this when I wake up?"_

_"No. You will only remember this when destiny allows it." she finished, and the darkness returned quickly and swallowed her up._

_"No! Wait! Who is it?"_

Waking up, Ginny felt uneasy, though she didn't know why. The feeling left as soon as she left her bed and she went to breakfast, ignoring Malfoy when he joined late. Then, she trudged upstairs to get to Charms early, her favourite class, and get a good seat.

Nobody was there yet, not even Flitwick. Ginny took a seat, since this teacher always left his door opened during school hours, and examined the floor. There. There it was. She knew Filch had cleaned the blood like mad, causing students to go to another classroom for two weeks, and heard that it didn't come all off, and saw they were right. A circular rusty splotch, right under her favourite place to sit at was obvious among the medium coloured wood surrounding it. Ginny leaned down on the floor and with her fingertips felt the rusty floor. It was warm, although the rest of the floor felt icy. Strange. Creeped out, Ginny sat somewhere else. Ten minutes later the classroom filled up and her housemate, Annika Romanov joined her. In the early twentieth century, her half-blood grandmother, Anastasia Romanov, fled to wizarding Scotland after her royal parents and siblings had been killed. In fear for her life while her family was being shot by soliders in a cellar room, Anastasia had accidently apparated at Hogwarts, in the Headmaster's office. Newly appointed Headmaster Armando Dippet took care of her until she was well and married a wizard in England, insuring her son, Annika's father, kept the Romanov name. Ginny had always thought the story was magical, like the princesses she had dreamt of as a child. Annika was very nice, and they had been friends for awhile, but their seperate interests pulled them apart.

Today they were learning to conjure, and Ginny lost herself as she waited for the directions for the difficult spell that was usually reserved for the seventh years, but was being taught early in light of Voldemort's return.

"Now, children," The tiny Professor exclaimed as they waved their wands hopelessly, "you wave your wand in the pattern of a J, starting at the bottom, and ending it in an I, pointing at the place where you want to conjure the item. Now, I want you all to concentrate on the ornaments that I put in this box here and try to conjure them, okay?"

"Yes Professor," the students chanted, and they began.

Ginny, who had always exceeded in Charms before she did any other, even found this difficult. She watched Annika for awhile after she failed to conjure the tiny glass ornaments. Glass. That's what hurt Malfoy, wasn't it? Ginny looked to the windows, and sure enough there was a new, less dusty pane of glass to her left. It was the largest window in the classroom, a towering ten feet of sharp, melted sand. Ginny shuddered. It must've hurt. Shaking her mind of the memory of him lying in the hospital wing, Ginny tried to grab ahold of the spell.

_"Emanate!"_ she cried, imagining a particular ornament the teacher had shown the class, a silvery blue, with a black border...

"Oh, look everyone!" The Professor cried "Miss Weasley has done it!" he applauded while the other students looked on with a hint of jealousy.

And Ginny had smiled, pleased with her success, when something strange happened. As the other teens got back to their conjuring, the silvery orb-like decoration rolled off the desk, and Ginny, too shocked to move, watched it as it rolled down, down, until it landed directly in the middle of the rusty mark on the floor. She blinked. Straight in front of her was the ball, not having moved an inch. She picked it up, cautiously, as though it was a bomb. She examined it, hoping to find the reason of the disturbance when a flash of silver caught her eye. It was out the window. Making sure Flitwick wasn't paying attention to what she was doing, Ginny went to the window in the far back and opened it, letting Draco Malfoy land from his broomstick, face flushed with the cold. His wand was in his hand, and Ginny knew he was the one who had moved the Christmas ornament to the stain of his own blood on the floor.

"What in the hell are you doing here, Malfoy!" Ginny whispered to the blonde boy, who set his top-of-the-line WindRacer to prop against the ancient wood of a desk. Luckily the other students were engaged in the apparition of a giant beach ball that a student had accidently conjured and had not noticed Malfoy.

"Well, I was hoping you would change your mind about Hogsmeade next week." Malfoy explained to her, his cool grey eyes indifferent behind the shadows in the room.

"With you?"

"Of course." he smiled.

"Why do you insist so that I go with you Malfoy? We are enemies. Your family hates mine and we hate yours! You with your Dark Wizards, and poisons, we know what you are up to, taking up your father's mantle! I can't believe you would even think of inviting me anywhere that just wouldn't lead to my death!" Ginny fumed. She was pissed. That little dickhead, thinking he could win her over with his money and his charms, she knew this was some sort of ploy to make her family look bad! She just knew it!

"Well, Weasley, or should I say... Ginevra... maybe I want to turn over a new leaf?" Draco whispered to her. Ginny shuddered. The only one who called her Ginevra was her mother or.. Tom. She shook herself mentally. Malfoy was just trying to frighten her. No doubt he heard the more obscure details about what happened in the Chamber from his father.

"You, turn over a new leaf? Malfoy, forgive me if I am wrong, but you are a _Slytherin_. Evil, do-badder. You don't change." Ginny was getting fed up.

"But, Ginny. Isn't it the Gryffindor way to forgive? To give a person a second chance? That's all I'm asking." Draco Malfoy near-pleaded. Ginny softened.

The cold seconds stretched to stony minutes as they looked at each other. Ginny was the first to turn away.

She rubbed her temples. _Oh, this would probrably be a huge mistake, she thought to herself. _"If I go with you to Hogsmeade... will you leave me alone?" she finally asked.

"If that's what you want, then that's what it shall be." he answered her.

"It's what I want." she shot back.

"As you wish." he said to her softly, and without further ado, took his broom, opened the window, and flew out before Ginny had the chance turn away.

Closing the window behind him, the redhead returned to the front of the classroom where the students were preparing to leave for the next class. Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder, she followed suit, wondering just what she had gotten herself into.


	4. Night Magic

Chapter four: Night Magic

_"Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!"_ Draco was doing a mental jig, something any respectable Malfoy wouldn't do, except in this case. The happier he kept Riddle, the longer his foes would live.

_"I did do pretty well, didn't I Malfoy?"_ Tom inquired, putting the sleek broom away in the Slytherin Quidditch locker rooms.

_"Very impressive, Riddle. Very impressive."_ Draco admitted, ending the silent jig.

_"I got that girl eating out of the palm of my hand, I do. This will be too easy." Tom quoted, "If that's what you want, then that's how it shall be... As you wish... where did you get that, Malfoy?"_

_"This half-blood I met once had talked of this book she liked, some princess story. That was her favourite quote."_ He answered

_"You know, this will turn out amazing, I just know it."_ Tom replied.

They were in Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. McGonagall was doling out the remaining pieces of homework to the weary N.E.W.T's learners. Draco was grateful that Tom knew his stuff. He hadn't had a chance to actually study. He knew father would kill him if he failed such a simple class as Transfiguration. Draco's eyes were diverted to the table as the teacher passed his way. Draco knew that Riddle was afraid a bit that one of the teachers would recognise him.

_"You know, McGonagall was in my year when I was in school."_ Tom said conversationally

_"Really? What was she like?"_ Draco inquired

_"Oh, she was firey, let me tell you that. She's the last pureblood in her line, the Romans. They were all killed when Grindlewald attacked. Bloody Gryffindor. Proud, mean, and studious. Never missed a class."_

_"Reminds me of Granger."_ Draco laughed

Fall faded quickly into winter, when the trees began to lose their multicoloured leaves, to be swept up by the contagious Filch. Students began to bundle up, donning thick, winter coats when the first icy draft hinted at cold weather that was still a month away. It was minutes earlier that Ginny had left Charms class in a huff, embarassed, angry, and... flattered? all at once. Classes were over for her for the day, and Ginny left off towards the Forbidden Forest, to rest and relax at her favourite spot in all of Hogwarts.

She knew that not many people knew about this little grotto near the woods, an area covered by trees and bushes to the right of the Quidditch field. inside was a patch of grass that was now fading due to the cold approaching, and a stone bench that seemed to have been there forever. She entered her little haven, more than a bit suprised to find Ron there. He was resting on her bench, arms wrapped around his body that was clad with a faded Weasley sweater and torn jeans. He was shivering. Sympathetic, Ginny went to her older brother, sitting next to the tall redhead. Ron paid no attention to her and still stared out into directly in front of him, moving only to blink. Finally he seemed to drift from his stupor and turn to his only sister.

"Hey, Gin."

"Hey Ron."

Silence.

"Ron... what's wrong?"

"What do you mean? Nothing is wrong, Gin."

"Liar. You are never around Harry and Hermione anymore! They miss you, Ron. And so do I." Ginny poured out.

"Nothing is wrong. It's nothing for you to worry about anyway." He added.

"Ronald Weasley, you will tell me what is wrong right now or I will curse your toes to fall off!" She pulled out her wand, ready to do just that.

"Geez, Ginny, no need to get so violent." He put his hands up in surrender. She lowered her wand.

"Anytime now."

"Look, this is kind of hard to tell you. So give me some time, okay?"

"Alright." She let down.

The boy stared at the yellowing ground for a few minutes. Petals of a rose were dropping silently to the floor and Ginny watched him count them, letting him take his time. This obviously was bigger than she thought, she realised.

Ron lifted his head up. His eyes were displaying lack of sleep, but other than that he seemed fine. But Ginny knew something was hurting his soul and one of the only things to cure it was to let it out.

"I'm in love with Hermione."

"Wha..?" She started, but he interrupted her.

"Harry and I have been best friends for six years. He's famous, and always gets the attention of everyone. I have always had nothing. Secondhand robes. Secondhand wand. Scabbers. I know he isn't responsible for being famous and everything, but I still resented him for it.

"I knew I loved Hermione the day after we were attacked in the Ministry. I was in the hospital wing, and still feeling horrible, and I looked to my left and there she was. She was so pale, so near-dead from that spell, that she looked almost... ethereal. Hermione was sound asleep and looked so beautiful. I fell in love. I wanted to touch her, to tell her what she meant to me, but Madame Pomfrey silenced me with some more of that sleeping potion and I was out of it. I never had the chance to talk to her about it, and over the summer, when Hermione and Harry came to visit us something seemed different. I couldn't place my finger on it, but something was off. Then we were attacked at the Burrow and had to leave, and, well you know what happened. Nearly the end of the year and I still hadn't told her. I was stupid. After Harry rescued Neville, he met Hermione late that night in the North Tower and they... expressed what they felt, I suppose. I know, because I had followed them up awhile later. Now Hermione and Harry are inseperable, and he got Head Boy title, and hell, I feel like such a git." He stopped

Ginny was shocked. Ron loved Hermione? Ron seemed so different than when they were younger. Ron seemed like a bit of an idiot almost. She remembered how Fred and George would tease him on his lack of understanding. "Wow, Ron. I can't believe that. I never even suspected that you... that you..." She couldn't finish

"Loved her." He supplied gloomily.

"Yeah."

"What should I do!" He moaned. Ginny shook her head.

"I don't know."

"Wish I still had the 'emotional range of a teaspoon.' Then maybe things would be easier." He laughed.

"The only thing I can think of you doing is to tell her. But that's risky."

"I don't know what I will do. But not that. That's last resort, that is." He got up.

"Thanks, Gin. I needed to let that off. You won't tell anyone, will you?" He asked her.

"Of course not." She replied. He walked off, shoulders a bit higher than before, but stress still clung to him like a Niffler who smelt gold. Unable to enjoy the silence and purity of her sacred place, Ginny left shortly after and went upstairs to the Gryffindor Tower.

_"The night is cold, the sky is dark... I'd rather be home than out in the park!"_

_"Is that all? How much do you want for it."_

_"A hundred dollars!"_

_"A hundred dollars, are you crazy? Here's a quarter, it's worth about a nickel. Good day."_

_Ginny laughed to herself as she stalked off of the stage, sitting next to the muggle who plays the "Girlfriend". Ron, who is playing the Poet, continues with the play, soon to get himself in a mess with some inept robbers with light-sticks and what her dad called plastic guns. It was something Ginny and her brother did only once. Dad had wanted to see a muggle play and wanted the children to participate, so he got Ron and Ginny, the only ones willing to go along with it, to try out for the play in the muggle village down the road. Ginny and Ron both got a part, and Ron laughed himself hoarse when she read her characters name: Wacko Lady. But Ginny got the last laugh when eleven year old Ron got the part as the Poet, who in the end had to kiss the "Girlfriend". It was the summer before Ron went to Hogwarts for the first time, and Ginny was excited about the next year when she would be a first year at Hogwarts. After all, hearing so much about it from her older brothers, she was bound to want..._

_From somewhere outside her dream, Ginny heard a scream. Wrenching herself from the paralizing effects of sleep, She opened her eyes wide to discover that-_

_There was nothing there. Nothing but four girls sleeping peacefully in their beds. But wait. Something was amiss. Annika's bed was half empty. Getting out of bed, Ginny staggered to the girl. She was lying with her head on the floor, and her legs on the bed. Ginny thought she was asleep and made to wake her up, lest she awaken with a back ache, but the girls eyes were already open. Open and blank._

_"Annika?" She said as she poked the girl. She stopped. The girl was not breathing._

_"Oh, my god." Ginny put a hand to the girls neck and felt no pulse. She felt her own quicken as she jumped from the body and went to the next. And the next. And the next. They were all dead._

_"NOOOO!" She shuddered and fell to the floor in a heap. _

And that is where she awoke.

Standing up from her curled position, Ginny went to the girls in turn watching them breathe with relief. It was when she went to her bed that she became frightened.

The bed was made, not even looking like it was slept in, like she never went to bed. But upon it was a note, a note that she read with trembling fingers. It was only two words, two words that froze into her mind long after it burnt itself into ashes.

_Sleeping well? _

It was something she couldn't forget.

"That's.. Tom's writing." She said to herself. Shivering, she somehow made herself go downstairs, not noticing she was wearing a thin nightgown that hardly covered her breasts now that she had grown. Gryffindor tower empty at this hour, Ginny trekked to the library and took a book from the shelf, a book that she had read only once before in her first year. Inside the book was a potion that she could create with some simple items in her own cauldron to create liquid that when placed into a container to be worn around the neck, would point to the seeker who the threat to her was. She was afraid that Voldemort had indeed collided memories with Tom and wanted to have some payback. Copying down the instructions on a piece of parchment she found on Madame Pince's desk, she returned the book to it's place and left the library.

Ten minutes later Ginny stood in front of the statue of Medea and standing next to Luna who "just happened" to be there. At one in the morning. Luna whispered the password and entered the common room as Ginny followed her to a straight-backed blue chair.

"So, whats up, Ginny?" Luna melodied as they reached the empty common room

"I think the Zacate-thingy is messing with my head, Luna. Do you know what's going on?" Ginny asked her friend

"You are having hallucinations?"Luna asked her. "Like what?"

"Urgh, all sorts. It's awful to remember them. The most recent was that all of the girls in my room were dead, and that I was in a play with my brother, and I found a letter from Tom on my bed that I am not sure if I hallucinated or not, and I don't know if I should make this potion or not, and it's just horrible." Ginny groaned

"Well, from my research from the Zacatechichi plant induces temporary hallucinations after the user has been granted the prophetic vision they needed. I'm sorry I forgot to mention that, Gin." Luna replied

"So what does that mean? That I have already had my vision?" Ginny asked

"That's what it seems like. Do you remember anything... prophetic? It may have been in the form of a quest, like a test and strange things?" By now, Luna had summoned a book and begun to read quickly as she spoke

"No, nothing I remember, anyway."

Luna stopped reading and looked straight at her.

"Oh, I think I know why. I didn't read this. It says," she read from the book "If the vision is so intense that it may change the way fate desires, that the drinker wil not remember the vision until fate allows it." Luna glanced at her friend. "The vision must entail what will change your entire life."

"You're kidding."

"No, that's what it says."

"This is crazy, Luna. How can one thing change my entire life?"

"Ginny, think. Are you the same person you would have been if Tom had never possesed you?"

"...No..."

"There you go. It could be as small is how you view things. Just relax and wait until you recieve the vision again. The hallucinations will leave you and you will be fine."

"Ok, Luna. Thanks."

"Oh, by the way, Are we going to be seeing each other at Hogsmeade next week?" Luna inquired. Ginny gulped.

"About that... I'm, er... going with someone." She answered her friend.

"Oh, really? Now who is it?" Luna sounded curious.

"...Malfoy."

"Malfoy? _Draco_ Malfoy! Why?" Luna exclaimed

"I... er, lost a bet and had to go with him to Hogsmeade." Ginny lied.

A pause. And then;

"Well, at least he's cute."

"Luna!"

"Well,he_ is_!" Luna insisted

"Yeah, I guess you're right. And, this way I can be the one to figure out whether or not he's gay." Ginny proposed.

"Tell me how it turns out, Gin." Luna said

"Oh, I'm sure you'll hear about it before I can tell you. It'll get out soon, I expect." Ginny finished and yawned widely. Luna's concerned expression returned.

"Now, go get some sleep. You look like you need it."

"Alright. 'Night."

"Night."

_"Hey, Draco?"_

_"Yes, Riddle?"_

_"Be nicer, won't you? You're lucky I haven't killed you yet."_

_"But I'm such good company, why ever would you want to do that?"_

_"Shut up. I have an idea."_

_"And that would be?"_

_"Thought I'd go see my future self. He may have an idea on how to kill Potter so I can get my powers back."_

_"How exactly are you going to find him, Riddle?"_

_"Your father is a Death Eater, correct?"_

_"Yes. He just got out of Azkaban in August. Minister Flagg let him go."_

_"I know that, Malfoy. I read your memories, remember?"_

_"How could I ever forget?"_

_"Anyway, I talk to your father, convince him to let me go to his next Death Eater meeting, either that or a nice Imperius Curse, and voila, I get to see me." Riddle laughed._

_"How did you lose your powers from Potter in the first place?" Draco changed the subject_

_A sigh. "When I battled Potter in the Chamber of Secrets, he put the fang of my Basilisk in my diary, where I resided. In that pierce, I believe he took the powers I had regained and had yet to into his body. He doesn't know it yet of course, but I know that when I kill him, it will go back to me and I will be taken from your body and into my teenage self's."_

_"So there would be two Voldemort's running amok?"_

_"Exactly. But, I will be more powerful than my future self since he lost his powers when he attacked Potter as a baby. I will be in my full strength when I leave your body, and you will probrably die in the process."_

_"I can't wait." _Draco said drily

"Well, I'd better go get some parchment." Tom got out of the chair in the Slytherin Common Room. He came up to a fifth year working on his homework at this late hour.

"Hey you, give me some of your parchment and that quill." Tom said in a deadly voice.

The boy handed Tom the parchment, quill and ink in a swift move, avoiding the other's eyes. Tom jotted down a quick letter to Draco's father with some help by the reluctant Draco and sealed it with a tap of his wand. Tom threw the remaing parchment at the boy and swept from the room, going up the stairs to the owlery.

Tom was at the fourth floor when he ran straight into Ginevra.

"Oh, Ginny." Tom said simply, feeling his face flush at the sight of her.

She was so beautiful. Her hair was messy on one side a bit, as though she had slept on the floor. But that's not what really caught his attention. She was wearing a very thin and rather small nightgown that seemed to heave as her heartrate picked up at the sight of Tom. His eyes lingering on her body longer than she liked, his eyes flashed up to her face and smiled.

"Missed me?" he said stupidly. Draco groaned.

Ginny looked down at herself in shock, as though she hadn't even realised that she was wearing something so small. She returned her eyes to Tom bravely though, and started to back away, arms across her chest.

"Goodbye, Malfoy." She turned to leave but Tom took ahold of her arm, unaware of what he was doing, breathing hard.

"Wait." He choked. Draco said nothing.

She turned around slowly, as though unsure whether or not she should. Tom put the letter in his pocket and took off his robe. Ginny's eyes widened.

"Wha..?" She whispered

Tom put the robe over her shoulders and took out his wand, conjuring some small green slippers. He put them on her feet. Ginevra looked utterly shocked.

"Walk you to your House?" He asked. Ginevra nodded, still in a state of shock.

They said nothing as Ginny went up the flights of stairs, Tom's arm around hers. All too soon they reached a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress.

"Here we are." Ginevra said softly.

Tom nodded. He reached down to her face and cupped it in his hand. Ginny looked him full in the eyes, hers half-lidded. He drew closer and placed his lips softly on hers. It lasted only a few seconds, and Tom drew away, leaving his robe with her.

"Goodnight, Ginny." He whispered.

And as he left, he could barely hear her answer him.

"Goodnight...Draco."

Tom turned the corner and went upstairs to the owlery in a joy.

_"That was amazing." _Draco said to Tom

_"Yeah, I liked how I handled that. She is falling in love with me so quickly, can you tell?"_

_"She's not falling in love with you, Tom. She's falling in love with me. It is my body, my face, remember?"_

_  
"Whatever. Doesn't really matter who it is. Either way I will use and betray her how I wish and I'll be done with it."_

_"Getting bored already?"_

_"Of course not."_

They reached the Owlery. Tom called down Draco's owl and tied the parchment to it's leg. Throwing the bird out the window, Tom vaulted down the stairs, ready to get to bed and think some things over.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Tom found himself drawn to this girl, moreso than her great-aunt so many years ago. Maybe it was because being in Draco's body had unleashed all of his human emotions that had been spelled away shortly before he put a part of himself in the diary. Tom didn't plan kissing Ginevra at all, or even walking her to her House. When he took her arm he was ready to throw her into the first room he found and strip Ginevra of her flimsy nightgown and make himself feel better. But instead, the gentleman inside him somewhere took care of her and left with her clothes intact. Pathetic. But it was probrably better he didn't. Tom finally reached the bottom floor and entered the Slytherin Common Room, ignoring the moans from someone in a chair, and down the stairs to his room. Shedding his clothes quickly, Tom jumped into bed and fell asleep immediately, mind swimming with visions of a beautiful redhead...

Draco was tired, but didn't want to sleep. Tom already was in a dead faint, but Draco had some things to think about before he did. When Tom kissed Weasley, his heart leaped with... something, but of course he didn't feel anything physically. He wished that Tom kept his gaze a bit longer on her, but... what was he thinking! It's Weasley. He hated her. Hates her. Draco screamed to himself in frustration. She's a Weasley. A mudblood-lover. Friends with Potter. He hates her...

And Draco fell asleep to the droning in his head, but dreaming of.. well, you know who..

The week passed by quickly for Ginny, Tom and Draco, Ginny decided not to make the potion and concentrate on her schoolwork rather than on the kiss she shared with Draco. Tom and Draco together yet seperately fought their emotions and when Tom saw her in the halls, pretended nothing had happened, and so did Ginny. For a whole week they ingored the other, until all too soon it was the morning of the Hogsmeade trip and everyone above third year was buzzing about the new pairing.

"Oy, Susan! D'ja hear who Ginny's going to Hogsmeade with?"

"Who doesn't know, Hodges? Malfoy and Weasley, who woulda thought it?"

"I wonder what her brother's going to say?"

But Ron never did hear what was going on. His eyes were upon the golden luminesence of Hermione's braided hair, and the one who's arm was connected with it in loving embrace. He followed the twosome outside and didn't even hear as Harry and Hermione asked his sister why on earth she was going with Malfoy.

"We both lost in a dueling match two weeks ago and the winners decided our fate." Ginny explained to Harry and Hermione in a monotone. Malfoy was silent for once and looked as annoyed at the turnout as she did.

"Malfoy, if you hurt one hair on her head, I will make sure you never see the light of day again, do you hear me?" Harry whispered to Malfoy who nodded.

"Right, Potter." He spat. He sped up, leaving the trio behind and Ginny followed, annoyed as she watched Malfoy brighten up.

"Ok, now that we've left those three in the dust, how about we finish this date, eh?"

Ginny sighed, sick already of this. First he kisses her, then he pretends nothing happened. What was wrong with him? Oh, yeah. he's a boy.

Leaving Hogwarts behind, Ginny and Malfoy went down the slope to the horseless carriages, ignoring the whispers from her classmates. Once they reached an empty carriage, Malfoy opened the door for her and she went in first, and he followed her, closing the door behind him and spelling it to lock.

"We don't want anyone disturbing us now do we?" He mentioned.

Ginny sighed again. She just knew this would _not_ end well.


	5. Hogsmeade

Chapter Five: Hogsmeade

"How 'bout some Fizzing Whizbees?"

"No."

"Chocolate Frogs?"

"No."

"Er... Blood Pops?"

"No!" Ginny shouted. Tom was starting to get fed up.

He had been trying for an hour to cool Ginevra off after he'd avoided her for the whole week before. He'd offered candy, robes, and a number of other things short of a broomstick. She wanted nothing. He had never met any such difficult girl before her.

Besides Ginny's difficult mood, there were the other students. Tom didn't know whether he should just Avada Kedavra them or tie them by their wrists in the Shrieking Shack. But he didn't think Ginny would appreciate it.

"Would you like to go to Zonko's, Ginevra?"

"Sure."

And so the two, or three, depending to which view you look through, trekked through the dirt road and down the street, to the shop frequented by jokesters even more now that a couple of the twin Weasley's things have made it into the popular store. Tom began to sift aimlessly through the things. Most of the stuff that had been around when he was in school was gone, to be replaced by trendy, yet well working gags. The Poo cushion was still there, a bit of a replica to the muggle Whoopee Cushion, but it instead expelled a scent not unlike, well, poo. Tom couldn't think of anything to do to win Ginevra's heart, or her bed, and the constant thought of it was driving him mad. Draco seemed to be with his own thoughts, and Tom left him to it. Two heads worked better than one, after all.

"So this is your idea of a date, Malfoy?" Ginevra said drily, picking at a cheap vomit.

"I'm working on it, Weasley. I haven't done this in awhile, so give me a break."

"So, you're gay aren't you?"

_"_Are _you gay, Malfoy?" _Tom asked Draco

_"No!" _Malfoy exclaimed

"No!" Tom said aloud to Ginny. Draco sighed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

A pause; then,

"Because if you are-"

"I'm not!"

_"Okay, Tom. That was _so _not smooth." _Draco laughed

_"Well what do you expect? _I _have no interest in the same sex."_

_"Neither do I, Riddle."_

_"Whatever you say, Malfoy."_

_"You'd better watch it, Riddle."_

_"Or what, you'll think me to death?"_

Draco said nothing. Tom laughed to himself

_"Get used to it, Malfoy. I am the boss here. Not you."_

Ginevra seemed to be wondering why Draco appeared to be out in space somewhere, so Tom threw up a sexy grin and addressed her.

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, how does that sound, Ginevra?"

"Whatever."

"Would you like anything from here?"

"No."

_"I got an idea." _Draco offered

_"You do, eh?" _Tom said. He had bought the reluctant Ginny a butterbeer, who was sipping it slowly, gazing about the room. He was inches from her, and she was now avoiding conversation.

_"Yes, really simple, actually." _He replied

_"Well, what is it?"_

Draco gave him access to his thoughts. Tom stood there for a few minutes, sifting though it, and began to smile.

_"That could work, Draco.. Actually, that _will _work. Very nice.."_ Tom fully grinned now.

"Ginevra, I'm going to be just a second, could you wait here for a moment?" Tom asked Ginevra and he felt Draco cross their fingers.

"Where are you going?" she sounded frustrated.

They were in the Three Broomsticks still, sitting in a corner booth in a slightly shadowed corner, yet they were still the center of attention. The brats of Hogwarts wouldn't stop pointing and whispering behind their hands, and Tom wished Potter was there. Because if he was, Tom would get a chance to kill him, or at least seriously injure him, before the Gryffindorks had a chance to realise what happened. But he had other plans today, so that is what he must be doing.

"I am going to make you glad to be here with me. Just give me twenty minutes, and if I am not back by then, you can leave and I will not bother you again."

"Okay."

Tom left the store and turned to the left into an alleyway not housed with a snogging couple.

_"You can apparate, right, Draco?" _Tom asked his host

"_Yes. You know that."_

_"Of course."_

And with the stifled sound of a heartbeat, Tom and Draco were gone.

It had almost been twenty minutes since Malfoy left, and Ginny was ready to just go to her dormitory and think about what to do with the possible reappearance of Tom Riddle. Luna had joined her at the table when Malfoy left, but no others. She supposed that they were afraid to what would happen if Malfoy came back with no seat.

"So how is the date, Gin?"

"Bloody awful, Luna. Just kill me now and let me be in peace."

"What has he done?" Luna looked concerned

"Tried to buy me things, you know. His father's blood money."

"Oh, he didn't.. touch you?"

"No."

"Where is he now? Is it over? Did he ditch you?"

"Not yet. He said he was going to get something to make me glad to be here. Whatever that means. He said I can leave if he doesn't come back in twenty minutes." Ginny explained

"That's bound to be interesting."

"Yeah."

"Well, er, I'll be off for now. You come find me when it's over, okay?" Luna said

"Okay, Luna." Ginny replied. She didn't want Luna to leave her alone, but the twenty minutes were almost up, and she half-hoped he wouldn't return.

But just her luck, Malfoy appeared suddenly to her right as Luna left. He was grinning.

"Thought I wouldn't return?"

"Something like that."

"Why the long face?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I am stuck here with the last person I'd ever want to be in a room with, much less on a date with?" she said

"Everything is prepared. Now all I need is you."

"Lovely" She finished the last of her butterbeer.

"Are you ready, Ginevra?"

"Would you stop calling me that?"

A pause.

"Are you ready... Ginny?"

"Yes."

He held out his arm, and she took it reluctantly. He handed her a tiny blue velvet bag and she took it.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Seperating the two soft pieces of cloth holding the bag closed, she looked inside.

"It's a... marble?"

"Take it out."

Ginny gave him a strange look, as though she couldn't believe he'd try to make up by giving her a marble, and put it in her palm.

In an instant, they were swept away in a blur of color, Tom just barely holding on to her by the arm, laughing like mad inside his head.


	6. Love Shack

Chapter six: Love Shack

The second Ginny's feet touched solid ground, She ripped her arm from Draco's, threw the marble as far as she could, and pulled her wand out in a swift move.

_"Impedimenta!"_

He dodged it like a cat, and Ginny threw another spell in his direction.

_"Expelliarmus!" _she shouted

And even though the boy did not have his wand out, he was thrown five feet in the air to land on his ass in a hallway. The old boards broke from under him and he fell through, to land on the second floor of this old house.

"Oh, shit," Ginny whispered

She didn't want to do so much damage, just keep him off his feet before he overtook her. She looked around. Behind her was a table with a white cloth over it, and two victorian looking chairs around them. On the table was one red rose in a beautiful bud vase, where on the place mats were two steaming hot dishes of what looked like a French dish. Ginny examined the dingy walls, the boarded up windows, and realised they were in the Shrieking Shack.

"Oh, shit," she repeated and nearly flew downstairs to his aid.

He was unconscious, and his arm was bleeding. There was dust in his hair and on his clothes and he looked like he had some trouble breathing. He was gasping as though he hadn't breathed in ages.

"Oh, Draco, oh, god, Draco. Are you okay?" she kneeled next to him and wiped the dirt from his face. Thinking fast, she ran back upstairs, took the cloth napkins on the table and the vase, and went back to him, cleaning the wound with the napkin and some of the water from the vase and using the other to tie it to his hastily cleaned cut. She now wiped the dirtier napkin with some more water on his face, hoping to wake him up. It worked.

"Gin..." he said to her. Ginny stopped wiping his face.

His eyes were closed still, and still looked like he was out of it, but his lips moved barely, and it seemed like he was using all of his energy to speak to her.

"Draco, are you okay?"

"Gin... help me..please..." he croaked

"I'm trying to, Draco! Is anything broken?"

"No.. you.. don't understand."

"What do you mean?"

His eyes snapped open. He looked about the room weakly, registering Ginny and where he was, then looked up to the hole.

"Nothing. I meant nothing. Just in a bit of a daze."

"Oh," she wiped his face some more

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked her, more than a little angry. He tried to sit up, but hissed in pain and fell back down again. Ginny took off her robes and bundled them up, putting them under his head.

"I'm sorry, I thought.. I thought you were taking me to.."

"To who? Voldemort? Lucius? Ginevra, I thought I'd surprise you. Looks like I did." he rested his head on the robes, trying to get confortable.

"Is anything broken? You know, I think I should take you to Madame Pomfrey, mabye she could-"

"No! I'm fine. Just get out your wand for a minute, okay?"

She pulled out her wand and looked to Draco.

"Point the wand at my arm and say this: Ligimai Nacius."

_"Ligimai Nacius!"_

The wound healed itself quickly, and Ginny took off the bandage, wiping off the residual blood.

"Now point to my forhead and say; Awachus"

_"Awachus!"_

He got up quickly and Ginny backed off. He picked up her robe, gave it a few shakes, and held it out to her. She put it on.

"Now, I believe, it is time to eat that meal I brought straight from France."

Draco had thought it was a good idea to make an illegal Portkey from a marble and give it to her after setting up the meal in the Shrieking Shack. He thought it would make her fall in love with them and maybe if Tom felt some sort of feeling for another human, he might not kill her. But the second they had landed in the Shrieking Shack, Ginny had turned on them and blew them back a dozen feet, and it hurt like hell. He landed one floor where they started, and Draco felt Tom was completely knocked out. Draco was still conscious probrably because Tom took the brunt of the force, and when Ginny came downstairs a minute later, he thought he'd get his chance.

"Oh, Draco, oh, god, Draco. Are you okay?" he heard her say.

He had very little strength left from the fall to do much so he could not open his eyes, but instead did all he could to keep them breathing and try to talk. He knew that if he hadn't done that, they may have died.

"Gin..." he choked out to her. He hoped that if he said Ginny and not Ginevra she would get a little suspicious, but he couldn't even finish her name.

"Draco, are you okay?" she asked him. He started to feel very woozy, but he did all he could.

"Gin... help me..please..." he croaked to her, but he knew it was hopeless.

"I'm trying to, Draco! Is anything broken?"

"No.. you.. don't understand." he felt his hold on his body lessen as he felt Tom return slowly in control.

"What do you mean?"

Her sweet, ignorant voice was the last he heard before he blacked out.

Tom woke from the fall dazed, in pain, and majorly pissed off, but he was alive. That's what mattered.

"What do you mean?"

Oh, shit. Tom thought. Draco must've said something. He felt for the boy, but he seemed to be out of it. Hmm. Either way, Tom answered her. He opened his eyes and looked around, his eyes resting finally on the redhead.

"Nothing. I meant nothing. Just in a bit of a daze." he answered her. He tried to get up but realised that he was in way too much pain at the moment to do that. He knew his back was bruised pretty badly, and he probrably broke a rib or two, but he had to finish this date and make it in her good books if this was to go right. Ginevra had taken her robe off and set it under him, so he tried to get confortable. If he passed out now, he was sure he'd be in Pomfreys when he woke up. Or when Draco woke up. The boy was getting stronger, and Tom was afraid that one of these mornings he would not be in control.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry, I thought.. I thought you were taking me to.." she tried to find some words. Internally, Tom rolled his eyes.

"To who? Voldemort? Lucius? Ginevra, I thought I'd surprise you. Looks like I did." he burrowed his head further into her robes, trying to take in her scent

"Is anything broken? You know, I think I should take you to Madame Pomfrey, mabye she could-"

Oh, shit.

"No! I'm fine. Just get out your wand for a minute, okay?"

He couldn't do a spell at this moment, so he thought he'd get Ginevra to do it instead. One was to heal his arm, the only cut she knew of, and the other was to heal any internal damage and to wake him up a bit. It was very old magic, and he didn't think Ginny would know it.

"Point the wand at my arm and say this: Ligimai Nacius."

_"Ligimai Nacius!"_

He felt the wound heal itself, and Ginny took off the napkin that cost him more than a napkin should, and threw it aside after she cleaned up the blood left over. How sweet.

"Now point to my forhead and say; Awachus"

_"Awachus!"_

He felt Draco wake up and he mentally slapped the boy after he got up and Ginny backed off. He picked up her robe, gave it a few shakes, and held it out to her. She put it on.

_"I'm going to make sure you feel as much pain as I can give you when I kill you, Malfoy. Try to contact her again, and I'll kill her now and make it _very _obvious who did it." _Tom was furious. He just wanted to strangle.. something. Anything. It was probrably best they got this romantic date over with and he could go kill something

_Draco was silent for a moment. "Right..Tom."_

"Now, I believe, it is time to eat that meal I brought straight from France," he addressed Ginny. Tom gave a grin and led her up the stairs as though they were marble and not the dirty wood it was.

Draco tried not to make Riddle angrier while they ate their romantic meal in the shrieking shack. Ginny seemed a permanent shade of magenta, keeping her face toward her plate and occasionally catching a few glances here and there to them. Tom made light conversation, hoping to get over this majorly destructive bump in the once smooth road. Draco felt pretty defeated. He wished he was stronger when they fell downstairs, and mabye he could have said something to Ginny-

_"Malfoy, what makes you think I can't hear you? You are walking on very thin ice, boy,"_ Tom shot at him, and Draco felt a wave of pain shoot towards him.

_"Right."_

"So, Ginevra, do you like your food?" Tom asked her. He twirled up some from his plate onto his fork and held it in her direction "try this."

She hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and let the fork rest in her mouth before pulling it out, clean.

Closing her eyes, she said "Oh, that's good, Malfoy. What is it?"

"Eh, can't remember now, but it looked good."

_"It's snails, Riddle." _Draco said lazily. Tom choked

"Something wrong?" Ginevra asked him. He shook his head and forced it down.

"Just a tickle in my throat."

"Ah."

Tom left Ginevra after the botched dinner a few feet from her common room. He was in pretty bad shape still and was not ready to risk a meeting with her Gryffin-dork bodyguards. Risking a tender kiss on the cheek to make her want him _and that's the only reason, _he said to himself, he left her, and once he was out of her sight, he went downstairs as fast as his body could allow him, and once he reached his common room, he set off to find the last person he wanted to see right now. Pansy Parkinson.

It wasn't too hard to find the ugly creature of the Slytherin Common Room. She sat with a couple of her girlfriends, one of whom was entertaining Blaise Zabini, who was trying to net the prettier Slytherin girls.

"Pansy," he called her. She looked towards his voice and positively lit up at the sight of him.

"Drakie dear! Why don't you join us!" she said to him and quickly got up and stood so close to him he feared she would take all of his air.

"Not now, Pansy. But I need to see you...alone." he practically clenched his teeth at the last word. Now he'd never get rid of 'Drakie's'

little girlfriend.

_I assure you, Riddle. That bucktoothed hag of a girl is not, in any way, my significant other_. Draco commented

_Whatever you say, Drakie. _Riddle shot back

"...alone? Where?" Pansy nearly squealed in glee. The other girls stopped their flirting to watch them.

"Er... in my room, if you don't mind." Tom braced himself for the impact of these seven words.

Parkinson turned crimson at his words but nonetheless agreed. "Shall I take my wand?" she asked him

Tom groaned. _She probrably thinks I want to try out what bondage is all about... bloody hell. I'm never going to get rid of her. _Draco laughed

"Yes, you will need your wand.." Tom turned and headed upstairs. Pansy retrieved her wand from the desk next to the other girls and followed him up.

Once he reached his dormitory, he found two of the other boys occupying it.

_"Follis Eirte!"_ he whispered in their direction.

The boys got up and left silently, but with rather blank looks on their faces. He entered the room with a crimson Pansy by his side. Taking off his robe and shirt, he layed down on his bed, face up and Pansy followed mutely.

"I.. I...er... I've never done this before, Draco. I mean.. I've imagined it with you.. but..." Pansy struggled for words.

"I don't want you to fuck me Pansy, I want you to heal me." Tom rolled his eyes and spread his arms apart to make it easier.

"...oh. About what I said.." Pansy spit out

''Yeah, don't give me any of it, Parkinson. You're a virgin. You reek of it."

She stayed silent. Tom was pleased. She was learning.

She looked up and down his chest. He knew she could see bruises up and down his upper body.

"Er, Draco, where did you get these?"

"I fell off my broomstick."

"Why didn't you go to Madame-"

"Shut it, Parkinson, and heal me already."

She did as he asked her. He was lucky this girl was good at healing spells. Her father made her cast them on those he tortured for information. Hurt, then heal. Hurt, then heal. Most of her father's 'subjects' lasted no more than a week under the constant pain, the never ceasing torture. They gave away what he needed very soon. Ah, the rise of the dark order was going quite nicely. How better it shall be when he stood side by side with his older counterpart...

"Finished"

He sat up. Feeling a bit better, he stood up and reached for his wand. Only one more thing will make him feel back to his old self.

"A token of my appreciation, Parkinson" He pointed the wand at her. Pansy's eyes widened in surprise, but it was too late.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

She fell in a lump to the floor.

_"No fucking way, Riddle. What the hell are you thinking!" _He heard Draco scream in his head.

_"Your little housemate just let loose the Voldemort in me. You going to complain?"_

_"YES! You killed her!" _Draco screamed in Tom's temple.

_"Shut it, Malfoy. Nobody will know where the body is." Tom rubbed his forehead. _The boy's anger was really taking a toll on him now.

_"Oh, where you going to put her, huh? Under your bed? Say she was killed by dust bunnies or something?" _Draco started to panic

_"Shut up, Malfoy!" _Tom threw a bolt of power at him and he was shut up.

_"We're going to Azkaban for sure, Riddle."_ was the last thing he said, before being silent.

Taking his wand out once more, Tom transfigured her body into a glass rose with deep red petals and sharp barbs.

"And only in death shall she gain true beauty." Tom whispered, before putting the fragile rose in his robe pocket.

_"What are you going to do with that thing, Riddle?"_

_"You'll see." Tom said, and made his way downstairs._

Once downstairs he performed a quick memory charm on the girls and Zabini downstairs. They never saw her with him. Feeling much better now, and his bloodlust sated for a while, he went upstairs to go see a special someone before the feast.

_I'm such a fool!_ Ginny said to herself as she watched Malfoy turn the corner after he dropped her off. Another part of her self seemed to battle with the proclimation. _No you're not. He's a Malfoy, and you have every right to be wary of his every action._

Either way, it surprised her that he still treated her decently after that episode. Perhaps he really did want to change? Ginny forgot her musings for the moment when she heard the unmistakable tappity-tap of footsteps. Turning, she found Luna headed her way, a vacant smile on her face.

"Hallo, Ginny. So, how'd it go?" The pale girl asked her friend

"Depends on how much you enjoy nearly killing someone." Ginny said drily, and explained what happened.

"Oh, my. I can see what you mean." Luna said "I'd do the same thing if I were in the situation."

"Oh, good. Afterwards I felt pretty stupid"

"What you did made sense. It did look fishy."

"Mm" Ginny agreed, glad she had such a good friend.

They stood in silence for a few seconds. Ginny's mind started to wander, and wander about Malfoy...

"Gin?"

She snapped back "Yeah?"

"You want him, don't you?"

Ginny snorted "Of course not, that's absurd. He's.. He's.. dammit, he's a Malfoy!"

Luna took a step back "Okay, Gin, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"You know, I bet it's going to be utterly awful when you get in the common room. Everyone's going to ask you a million questions."

Luna said, changing the subject.

"I bet. I really don't look forward to it."

"I don't blame you."

"Maybe I should just go straight to the Halloween Feast now, instead of stopping to change clothes. Save myself some hell."

Luna laughed "Good idea. I'll go with y-."

"Ladies." said a very suave, very familiar voice. Ginny turned at the sound. It was Malfoy.

"Luna, I'll see you at the feast, okay?" Ginny said, not taking her eyes off the boy.

Luna nodded. "Okay, then." she left

"What do you want Malfoy? I thought you would leave me alone after the Hogsmeade trip? Or are you here to exact revenge after what I did to you in the Shrieking Sh-"

He handed her a perfect, beautiful glass rose.

"Oh, my, Malfoy. It's.. beautiful." she took it in her hands, finding it cool to the touch. Even though she knew it was glass, she smelt it.

"What does it smell like?" Draco asked her. She laughed

"It smells like pansies, how odd. Where did you get it?"

"Now, now, Ginevra, you don't want me to tell you where I get everything, now do you?" he answered her.

Ginny smiled. "No, I suppose not. Is that all you came back here for?" she asked him.

"Not quite. Just thought I'd escort a lady to the feast." he held out his arm to her.

"We.. we shouldn't, D.. Malfoy. People will talk." she stammered.

"And since when have you cared what others thought, Ginny? Don't forget, you hang out with Loony Lovegood." he smiled to show he meant no disrespect.

Ginny stood still for a few moments before taking his arm. After all, what harm could there be?


	7. Halloween Fears

Chapter seven; Halloween Fears.

Walking down the main staircase to enter the great hall on Halloween with Draco Malfoy's arm around hers was nothing short of different, to say the least. It started first as a slight buzzing, as somehow everyone already seated pulled their heads up simultaniously to observe two opposite forces, per say, to see fire and ice gliding down the care-worn staircase as one. And, of course a select few perhaps even saw the cold ebony sliding through one like a blackened snake.

To Ginny, the descent felt as though it had taken ages to end. In the midst of the disbelieving din, she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione among the thousand, staring at her as though they could not believe their eyes. Deciding right then and there to take more time observing her shoes, she headed down more quickly, Draco taking the hint and keeping up. Reaching an empty seat in the Gryffindor table, he let her go there and returned to the Slytherin table and winked at her. Ginny did not notice. She was still too busy examining her shoes.

"Gin.. what were you thinking!" Harry whispered loudly into her ear once everyone stopped buzzing.

"Right, Ginny, what the hell is going on?" Ron came to life beside Hermione. Hermione nodded in agreement.

Ginny didn't know what to do. On normal circumstances, she would have ignored a situation where other students were staring at her and whispering behind their hands. She had dealt with it enough when Tom had taken her to to the Chamber.

But this was something new. She was portrayed as the Gryffindor who was in a relationship with a Slytherin, that Slytherin being Draco Malfoy. If she was lucky enough, she'd be able to pass it off as the final bit of the 'bet' she had lost, and the whisperers, she hoped, would find something, or someone else to talk about.

"It was part of the bet, Ron. I don't know what I'm going to do now, though. I've got all of these curious people to deal with." Ginny lied and stared at the empty golden plate before her, feeling her face flush at the fib.

"Who were the kids you lost the duel to, anyway? If memory serves me right, Gin, I've never seen you be beaten by anyone when you have that Bat Bogey Hex under your sleeve." Hermione commented

"Ah.." Ginny began, but was saved an answer when Dumbledore stood up and held his arms out wide, as though wishing he could envelop all of the students in his embrace.

"Greetings, Hogwarts students, to, I believe, our one thousand, six hundred and seventy ninth year of Halloween behind the doors of our wonderful school! Now, before I let you begin the fantastic feast our resident House Elves have prepared for us, and I daresay some of our sweets-laden students can handle the wait, I must make one announcement." Dumbledore said. Ginny could already feel a chill in the air, and knew that something was very wrong.

"We seem to have one of our students missing form the feast tonight, and though on the usual circumstances, this would not be much of an issue, but with Voldemort-" at this, many students seemed to supress a shudder "-among us again, preying on our weaknesses, and with a student recently attacked, I must ask you all to be wary of your surroundings and those you hold close to you. Be sure they are safe, and if you have any knowledge of any of your classmates in trouble, or may be, please seek myself or any of your professors. And now, it is time to feast." he held his arms up again, and the food appeared before their very eyes.

Before helping herself to the food before her, Ginny thought about who it could be that was missing. It seemed she wasn't the only one. Around her, in the midst of clinking glasses and cutlery, she heard many a whisper, and they were all the same.

"He didn't say who is missing, did he?"

"I didn't hear him, did you, Hodges?"

"I dunno, I wonder why.."

"'Prolly wanted to keep it quiet. This is scary."

"Yeah. Oh, look, kippers!"

And so Ginny picked at her plate before her, being quite full from the meal with Draco. And as the entire student body was absorbed in their food and their rumours, they did not notice her leave rather early from the table.

She didn't know what to do. Walking up the first flight of stairs she came to, she tried to get him out of her mind. He was like a poison in her bloodstream; killing her slowly but the pain felt so good. She didn't know what she felt about him either. Either that, or she was just denying it. Lying to herself. How could she care about the one person who has made her friends' life miserable, the one who teased her about her valentine to Harry so many years ago?

_"I'm pathetic. I'm falling in love with the boy who annoyed."_ Ginny thought to herself as she stood in front of the Fat Lady and said the password.

Climbing into bed and wanting nothing more than the sweet oblivion of release, she sunk her head into her pillows and slept.

An hour later, Tom stood up from the Halloween feast after turning Goyle's goblet of pumpkin juice to blood, Zabini's bread into human flesh, and setting Meera Klokkenpettos' braids aflame. Oh, how he loved Halloween. Heading downstairs, Tom hoped to find the letter from Draco's father on his bed, and he was in luck. Once he reached his room he found the silver-lined letter perched ever so tidily on his bedside table, with the famous green 'M' as a seal.

Tearing it open with a flick of his wand, he quickly read the contents.

Son,

I have recieved your letter suggesting you speak to the Dark Lord and be granted admittance to the rise of the Dark Order. The Dark Lord has consented and wishes you a private audience for your full cooperation. I will take you from your school at nine pm on December 20th. I expect you to be waiting for me at the Hogs Head at the above mentioned time.

Until then,

Father.

_"Daddy's not much for lengthy letters now, is he?" _Tom commented to Draco

_"He's all business." _Draco replied drily.

_"You know what, I think I have some soot in my hair from that girls braids, can you believe that?"_ Tom said

_"Most likely from that near-death expeirence we had with Ginny in the shrieking shack, you fool."_ Draco said.

_"Watch the lip. We're going to take a bath."_

_"Why are we doing this now?"_

_"Because we're dirty."_

_"You just want an excuse to touch my body."_

_"Quiet."_

Ten minutes later, and Tom was neck-deep in the Prefects bathtub, and enjoying every minute of it. Dunking his head under water, he wet the silvery locks and lathered them up with soap. Draco groaned.

_"You are so strange, Riddle."_

_"I like to clean myself after I kill, okay?"_

_"So that's how your older counterpart got the pasty white skin? Kept killing so much his face was rubbed off?"_

_"I'm really going to enjoy killing you, you know." _Tom replied scathingly, and started to wash up his pale chest, his thoughts lingering to Ginny. He brought his hands down lower, and lower, dropping the sponge in the midst of his thoughts.

_"Riddle!"_ Draco screeched a few seconds later "_Watch what you're rubbing!"_

Tom fumbled and let go, ducking under the water once more.

_"I was looking for the sponge."_ Tom replied

_"Last time I checked Riddle, the sponge wasn't long and ha-"_ Draco choked back a grimace as Tom mentally thunked him over the head.

_"Shut it, boy, or I'll kill you now."_

Once Halloween ended in a flurry of back and orange ribbons, time seemed to go quickly for Tom, Draco, and Ginny. Tom's thoughts were on the upcoming meeting with himself and of how to get Ginny in his bed. Draco could think of nothing more than to get Riddle out of his body and away from him, but his hope of surviving this captivity seemed only a glimmer, a shiny stone in the bottom of a dark and deep lake. Ginny was persued by thoughts of her once arch-enemy, and of what had happened in the Gryffindor common room less than a week after Halloween.

Ginny was heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room after spending about an hour looking for Draco, hoping to 'accidentally' run in to the boy; why, she wasn't sure, and didnt' want to dwell on it too much. Luckily for her, however, when she entered the Gryffindor common room past midnight, she came upon a scene that quickly took her mind off of Draco.

"What the-" she began

Harry flew across her, falling to the floor with a loud crash to her left. Ahead of her, Hermione was somehow stuck to the wall, five feet in the air, her arms forced at her sides, a frenzied look on her face. Thinking someone may be playing tricks, she withdrew her wand before she was jinxed to the wall. Looking for the culprit, she was quite suprised to feel an acid-sharp pain reach her left elbow and nearly dropped her wand. Turning to the fireplace, she found the person that hurt her. It was her brother.

"Ron, what the hell are you doing?" she asked him.

He didn't answer. Instead, he raised his wand to attack her again. Ginny, thinking quickly, threw a curse at him.

" Petrificus Totalis!" she yelled at him.

Luckily he fell away from the fire, landing on his face, completely immobile. Closer to Harry, she went to her friend, finding him unconscious, but alive. Thinking the best thing to do would be to release Hermione and get them to the Hospital wing, she did so, casting a spell for her friend to fall slowly. Once Hermione reached the floor, Ginny took ahold of her and held her up.

"Hermione, what happened?" Ginny asked her

She was shaking, and in utter shock, but the brunette spoke. "I-I'm not sure." Hermione whispered to her "Harry and I were studing for our N.E.W.T's and R-Ron came in and started s-screaming and yelling, saying he would k-kill me and take H-Harry to his m-master. Do you think he means-"

"-I'm not sure what he means Hermione." Ginny cut her off, thinking it was better not to dwell on it. "We just need to get them to the Hospital wing and get Dumbledore. Can you spell them to float in the air so we take them there?"

Hermione nodded and bit her lip, a tray tear falling soundlessly into her hair.

"Good, let's hurry then." Ginny said.

Hermione said the spell and took Harry out of the common room and waited outside of the portrait. Ginny followed with Ron, silently grateful that the Fat Lady was asleep.

"Ready?" Hermione asked her. She nodded.

Hermione set down the stairs first and Ginny followed, trying to ignore her brother's eyes as they moved back and forth with a look of someone her brother was not.


	8. Mind Walker

It was three hours previously she had been ushered out of the hospital wing by an anxious looking Madame Pomfrey and taken to Dumbledore's office where she was interrogated of what she had witnessed again and again. Dumbledore asked her and Hermione what had happened, and when Ginny nor Hermione could come up with an explanation, did he request admittance into their memories. Ginny was not sure what Dumbledore meant, but she saw Hermione tense up and her eyes grow large.

"Professor, you surely don't mean mind walking, do you?" she said to the aging wizard, her brown curls growing darker in the flickering light of the candles.

"Yes I do, Miss Granger. This is a serious matter. I know that Mr. Weasley would not act of this way of his own volition, bringing his best friends and his sister to great danger, but with these times, such measures may need to be taken" he whispered, and began pacing in the room.

"What does Hermione mean, Professor? Mind walking? What is that?" she inquired

It took Dumbledore several minutes to answer, as he paced the room. He seemed unwanting to tell her what he had in mind, and how it may effect his students. Ginny got the impression that this was not of his will; that he was requested to by Fudge if such an event of such a magnatude would happen, especially to The Boy Who Lived. Finally, though, he spoke.

"Mind walking is a very difficult task that involves a skilled witch or wizard to go into the mind of another witch or wizard to find information the conscious mind may have forgotten. It is a better way to recieve information, and quite safe for both in question. However, it is something not taken lightly and I insist on your complete approval before I do so. This is, however, for the safety of our students, and of Mr. Weasley." the wizard said.

Ginny stared at the golden gadgets in the headmaster's oval room without really paying much attention, thinking. What would Dumbledore say if she said no? Would he think she was hiding something? And what did he mean, walking her mind? Would he find out about her and Draco? What would he say? Oh, she couldn't bear the thought of the aged wizard looking down at her so sadly, as though she were collaborating with the enemy.

No, of course he wouldn't think that. He had seen many students pass through his doors. It can't be quite so strange for a Gryffindor to fall in love with a Sly-

"Well, Miss Weasley? Would you allow me admittance?" Dumbledore interrupted her crazed thoughts.

Of course, this was for her brother. He may be seriously hurt, perhaps even being Confounded. No, she WILL let Dumbledore in, even if that meant giving out her her true thoughts about the silver headed boy.

"Of course, Professor" Ginny replied to him. She had to be brave.

Tom was angry, again. Potter was in the hospital wing, with that batty woman Pomfrey looking after him and Ginevra's brother after god knows what happened. How did anyone get so close to Potter without him knowing?

_I must be doing something wrong... _Tom said

_Yeah, what's that? Not getting Weasley into bed with you? _Draco replied

_I'll have you know, Malfoy, Ginevra will bed me, whether she wants to or not. I am irresistable._

_Not Ginny, you dolt. You are obviously pining over her brother. _Draco sniggered. Oh, how he loved to get under the parasite's skin!

_Now, I knew you were in love with Parkinson, but men? I guess you had no choice, being as I murdered your one true love with your own wand. _Tom replied scathingly.

Draco said nothing

_I don't know what's going on, but Potter was attacked by someone, and so was Weasley, and I want to find out how anyone could get close enough to do so when I've been trying to for over two months now!_

_I've no idea, Riddle. But isn't thinking in your department? I'm sure you could think of something._

Professor Dumbledore slid his chair in front of Hermione's and sat facing her. Hermione looked quite apprehensive as Dumbledore slid the tip of his wand down Hermione's temple, and with a whispered oath, a bright light shot out from his wand and they stood quite still for several minutes.

Ginny stood up. She felt her hands turn icy cold and she began to pace the room, trying not to look at her friend and her teacher, eyes locked, yet faces blank. Dumbledore's wand did not move from Hermione's temple and it seemed as though time had stood still for them.

She couldn't believe she gave into this, that she was letting her teacher access her thoughts. But it was for the greater good, yes. To help her brother, who knows what happened to him. And Harry. She remembered when she had a crush on him, how she used to sit against one of the trees outside in the springtime and watch him practice Quidditch with the team, and how she longed to be the one to run up to him and wrap her arms around him, to be the one to hold his hand, and to kiss him on the cheek before heading off to class.

But that was years ago. She wished she could have that relationship with someone, someday. But perhaps that was just a dream...

A gasp from behind her awakened her senses to the here and now. Dumbledore put his wand hand down and massaged his temples as he thought deeply, while Hermione shook her head as though she had water in her ears. Ginny caught her eye and smiled weakly and stood, and Hermione smiled back.

"It's nothing to worry about, Gin. It's not that bad. It just feels weird." Hermione stood up from her chair while Dumbledore remained seated, and took Ginny's seat instead.

"Do you still want to continue, Miss Weasley?" he asked her. Ginny nodded.

"Did Hermione's...memories...help any?" she asked as she took the seat before him.

"Things should make more sense when I look through it more carefully later" he answered her.

Nervous, Ginny looked into the eyes of her Headmaster, hoping for reassurace, and found Dumbledore's eyes upon her own. His eyes were so blue, so deep, the black pupils like a tiny stone in a vast lake. It calmed her down. Smiling weakly, she allowed her Headmaster access to her mind as he brought the tip of his ebony coloured wand to her temple. She did not hear what spell he uttered, what incantation he must have said, but instead felt as though she was thrown into a black abyss, Dumbledore behind her.

And so is the end of chapter eight! Now, don't forget, please reply!

And while you are waiting for chapter nine, feel free to read my newest fanfic, Harry Potter and the Veil of Life, where Harry must trust the one person he thought he'd never see again, and finally destroy Voldemort, who has found a way to be truly immortal. Until next time!


	9. Issues

Chapter 9

Issues

Ginny tried to blink, but she couldn't. It was almost as though her eyelids had been pulled from her face, leaving her to stare. In front of her was her was a box. She reached out a hand to touch it-

"Do not touch your memories, Miss Weasley. You may do harm" Dumbledore said to the right of her

She jumped. Ginny did not know how he suddenly appeared when she did not see him before, but then again this was magic that she'd never heard of. Unlike Hermione, she didn't make it obvious she was quite the bookworm, studying wise, but this never crossed her mind.

Dumbledore stepped forward, blocking her view of the box, a kindly smile on his wrinkled old face.

"With this type of magic you must come with me but it would most certainly do you harm if you yourself were to access your memories like this. Instead, let me open the box and find what I must, so you will remain s-"

Dumbledore paused and straightened up. Cocking his head slightly to the left he smiled grimly.

"Professor-"

"This is no longer necessary, Miss Weasley. I know what happened to your brother." He interrupted her briskly

Ginny took a deep breath. "What happened?"

Dumbledore shook his head, his face portraying pain and sadness "It seems your brother has been mind walked, and badly. I cannot say much more than that but it seems someone else may have imprinted their consciousness onto your brother's and sent him back. He was a spy."

Dumbledore waved his wand in the air and muttered a quiet incantation. As she felt herself losing grip on this place she looked at the box that was now below her. In that split second before she reunited with her physical self a shadowy picture floated on top of the box. It was a perverted, mutated image of Draco Malfoy and Tom Riddle.

"Miss Weasley, are you well?"

Ginny opened her eyes. The sapphire orbs materialized into Dumbledore's eyes a few feet in front of her. His kindly face smiling down at her, she nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine"

Dumbledore stood back and Hermione joined him, leaving Ginny to do the same. He headed towards the door and gestured that they do the same.

"I apologize to rush you out so quickly but I must attend to Mr. Weasley. He must be sent to St. Mungo's immediately." Dumbledore said briskly as they went down the spiral staircase to the main hallway

Ginny and Hermione both nodded as Dumbledore rushed ahead of them and disappeared around a corner. Hermione bit her lip.

"Ginny are you going to the common room?" she asked her ginger friend

Ginny shook her head "No"

Hermione nodded. At the turn for Gryffindor Tower she said goodbye and Ginny continued forward, not sure where she was going but didn't care. She was still thinking about that box.

Why were their faces so mingled together? Ginny thought to herself.

It was understandable, in a way. With the threat of the Dark Lord knowing who she was, it was bound to put her unconsciousness on alert. Lately it's all she had been thinking about.

And Draco or Malfoy or whatever she was calling him nowadays. She's been thinking about him a lot lately too. She shook her head. It was probably nothing. She should be worrying about her brother, not what some spell showed her. She groaned. This was all too confusing.

Her footsteps carried her to a dusty corridor somewhere on the second floor. The chill of early November sent shivers down her body and goose pimples appeared on her pale flesh. There were no torches guiding her way- it was well past midnight at this point. Ginny lit her wand, the light bouncing off of the brick, etching a sinister relief on the walls.

Perhaps I should turn around, Ginny thought to herself, doing a quick 180 back to where she came from and ran into someone- again.

"Hello, Ginevra" said Draco

Tom watched Ginevra's face pinch in annoyance (and pleasure?) as he spoke her name. Tom had spotted her as she passed by a classroom he was in, where he followed stealthily until she did a sudden turn to backtrack. However, Tom took the opportunity to 'stop' her by pressing his hand against the center of her chest near her neck. He could feel the rise of her collarbone against his fingers as he dropped his chilly hand from her flesh, his eyes searching her face.

"Don't call me that, Malfoy" she said quietly, her cheeks flushed pink against her freckled face at his touch.

_She doesn't know anything. _Draco said to Tom

_And what makes you think that? _Tom thought back

_Look at her face, just leave her alo- _Draco began before Tom interrupted

_I will not leave her alone. Someone got past me and got to Potter before I could. I must know-_

"Malfoy?" Ginny said. Tom's eyes refocused as he looked back at her. Her annoyed face was replaced by a slightly more concerned one, under her eyes the circles seemed darker in the half-light her wand which was pointing on the wall provided.

"Sorry, Ginny, I was…thinking" Tom finished lamely "What's going on with your brother?" he asked

_Wow, way to be smooth_. Draco commented drily

Ginevra looked at first as though she was not going to answer as she peered at him, her eyes narrowing briefly before she replied, turning her head, running a finger down the stone "They don't know" she said, her voice slightly higher pitched than normal. Tom suspected she was not being honest and he wondered for a moment what he could do to get it out of her. Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to speak before Ginevra continued "Ron is going to St. Mungos…they think he may be bewitched." Clearly the girl couldn't keep a secret. Tom's lips tugged to form a smile however he kept his expression impassive. Reaching for her hand on a sudden impulse she jumped at his touch, and he could feel Draco still his personal way of moving, as though waiting to see what Tom would do.

"Come on, then. I'll take you back to your commons while you find out what is going on" he said quietly, tugging at her arm briefly. Ginny followed without protest, which was far different to her character. They continued on in silence until they reached the sixth floor corridor where Ginny suddenly stopped in her tracks and Tom turned, catching her gaze

"What is wrong, Ginny?" he asked

"Malfoy...do you know who Tom Riddle is?" she asked him

It was all Tom could do to not gape as the words rolled from her tongue. He felt Draco stir within him and he pushed the boy away. Tom racked his brains for a suitable answer, his fingers chilled

"No, I don't. Who is he?" he said, finally. When in doubt, feign ignorance.

Ginevra peered at him for a moment, her eyes searching his. The silence continued as she did this and finally, she sighed and looked away, Tom taking a silent breath of relief.

"Just someone I used to know." She said almost sadly, before opening the door to the Grand Staircase and heading in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower. Tom followed quickly behind her, feeling as though this careful lie he created was falling apart.

Draco's voice interrupted his thoughts-_Do you think she knows?_

_How could she?_ Tom muttered back to him, his eyes following the curve of her backside as she walked up the stairs.

Upon reaching the landing Tom stopped while she whispered the password to the Fat Lady. Ginevra's lips tugged into a brief smile as she turned back to him.

"Good night, Malfoy"

"Good night, Ginny"

As Ginevra turned to enter the portrait he swept away, thinking the meeting with his older counterpart could not come soon enough.


	10. Herbs and Parchment

Chapter 10: Herbs and Parchment

A week passed and Ginny finally received an owl from her father on the state of Ron. Harry was out of the Hospital Wing and if possible his constant haunted look became darker as one of his closest friends was attacked. They were no further to answers than they were the day Hermione and Ginny left the Headmaster's office that fateful night , though Hermione seemed to spend more time than usual huddled in the library with several books, a frantic expression ever-present on her face, Harry by her side with a vacant, almost defeated, look.

"He was Confunded for months." Ginny said upon arriving at the small desk in the corner of the library, slapping the hastily written letter from her father. Hermione and Harry both jumped at her arrival and noise-making, those closest to the trio not even bothering to silence them after the events the week previously.

"Confunded?" Hermione repeated bewilderedly, picking up the parchment promptly to read, her nose scrunched as her eyes darted down the paper.

Ginny nodded and pushed some books to the side as she sat at the table, leaning over on her elbows to read with Hermione.

"That's it? I thought you said that Dumbledore told you he was-" Hermione began

"-mindwalked, yes" Ginny finished, gesturing with her hand in a circular motion, clearly asking the older girl to turn the page over.

"Oh!" Hermione said as she did so, her eyes widening as she scanned the rest of the text "Oh." Her tone took a defeated quality as she returned the paper to the table

"Well…what does it say?" Harry asked, urgently

Both girls looked at the boy, forgetting for a moment that he was there.

Hermione pushed the paper to him as she began speaking but Harry did not bother to look down to read it or even pretend to read it. It was times like this when Ginny was reminded to how much Harry needed her.

"Well, Mr. Weasley has been at Ron's room every day for news and just-" at this, Hermione glanced down to read the top of the parchment for the date "-yesterday, the Mediwizard taking care of Ron diagnosed what is going on. He said that Ron was mindwalked, but not after being confunded for _months_. Whoever did it is inept at best. And, they think he was captured sometime during the summer holidays."

A lengthy silence filled their area as the three absorbed this information. Ginny, having already read it before flying down the stairs to deliver it to them in person, pressed her fingers against the smooth wood of the table, the top worn from generations of students before her. She glanced up at Hermione, taking in the girl's facial expression. It was almost as though she could see the cogs turning in her bushy haired friend's brain.

After the brief silence, Ginny could take the quiet no longer. Opening her mouth a sound escaped her lips to prompt the girl to speak, but Hermione beat her to it.

"This means….Ron was captured, we don't know by whom, and there's nothing we can do" Hermione said with a hard tone to her voice, dropping the parchment back upon the table.

Ginny sighed with defeat, hoping that Hermione would have a miraculous solution that even the best mediwizards of England could not discover. Glancing at Harry, her long ago crush, he saw her hard stare at Hermione as though he wanted to say something to her, but not around Ginny.

"I think I'll leave you two at it then" she whispered, standing. The sound of the chair scraping against the wooden floor did not distract Harry from his piercing gaze upon Hermione. The brunette turned her gaze to the ginger and gave her a weak smile that looked a bit wobbly, as though she was fighting back a frown.

"Thanks for the letter, love" she said in a low voice to Ginny, returning her gaze back to the Boy who Lived, sliding her hand over his in a brief caress

Feeling a sudden emptiness in her heart, Ginny turned away from the pair, the two more different than they were just the year previously. Voldemort, though not close to them at the moment, seemed to seep into their lives no matter how distant he was from them, poisoning their lives with torment.

Weaving past the towering bookcases and collection of chairs, students and books she exited the library, the tears threatening to overflow from her eyes finally finding release at the doors. One hand to her mouth, the other out before her to reach for the nearest side door among the corridor, she found the first empty room along the line and pulled it open, shutting it behind her. Pressing her back against the wood she slid to the ground, her body shaking with sobs, the wail of sorrow echoing in the quiet, dusty room. Tears for her brother, tears for those who have died, and tears for those she loved, reduced to shells of their former selves overcame her and she wept alone.

Time seemed to move by so quickly, Tom thought, examining the date on a calendar in a classroom. Winter Solstice was only weeks away and he had not gotten as far as he would have hoped with Ginevra. Stabbing his trowel into the pot of earth he turned his head and scowled at Professor Sprout, willing for this bloody class to be over already.

"_I hated this class when I was attending it"_ Tom said suddenly to Draco

Draco was not really paying attention and snapped back to reality as Tom spoke

"_Oh?"_ he inquired

"_Indeed. I had a good time of snitching bits of herbs here and there and hiding them on the northern side of the-"_ at this Tom stopped and Draco stilled, a trickle of fear coursing through Draco's mind as Tom's memories flipped by too quickly for Draco to catch.

Tom smiled, and picked up his trowel, wiping the coating of dirt on the tip and pressing his wand against the worn metal.

"Eraxco!" Tom murmured quietly as Professor Sprout turned to assist a dimwitted Hufflepuff.

The trowel cracked and began to smoke, shattering after a quick prod from Tom's index finger. Ensuring nobody was paying attention, he then directed his wand to the extra supply of trowels beside Sprout's desk

"Evanesco" he whispered. The trowels disappeared.

"Professor!" Tom called, swiftly returning his wand to his pocket "My trowel is broken. May I please get another? Tom waved his destroyed trowel for evidence.

Professor Sprout looked up and her eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she set her gaze on the trowel and its complete destruction. After a beat, she spoke. "Of course, my dear boy. Please take one from my de-" the Professor frowned, her eyes on her work station "I must have left them in Greenhouse two. Kindly get another from the greenhouse- and return promptly!" she stressed

"Of course Professor" Tom said with a charming smile and Sprout returned to the other student.

Chuckling to himself, Tom exited the Greenhouse and made his way rather far from the greenhouse and to the far north of the castle, where resided a certain oak tree that he once frequented over fifty years ago.

Draco was getting sick of tired of this. Try as he might, he could not gain control over the stronger Tom. Draco spent hours at night while Tom was asleep trying to figure out what he could do to either gain control, and if not, find a way to get Tom /out/ of his body. The only solution Draco had come up with was to find a way to get himself within an inch of death again, though without a way to control his body, this was impossible. Draco also began to fear for Ginny, his feelings toward her changing rather quickly. He saw her so differently now, and it was something the boy was still not used to. Draco feared that soon Tom would grow impatient with Ginny and, like Pansy, dispose of her but not, of course, after first using /his/ body to ravage hers. While it sounded rather pleasant for Draco himself to do, albeit with a willing participant, he didn't appreciate a stranger taking away his virginity. Draco sighed in frustration, if it could even be called that, as Tom used his body to dig a hole inside a rather large oak tree with his wand.

"This tree is bigger than it used to be." Tom murmured, after attempting hole number four on the trunk. Peach sized gouges ran along the length of the tree and Draco mentally rolled his eyes.

"_So glad to see you know how to properly dig a hole you asshole" _Draco replied scathingly

Tom stilled, sending a bolt of pain towards the boy. Draco hissed at the sensation and retreated to the far side of his little 'mind' area.

"I will make you regret your words" Tom said in a quiet voice as he looked to either side of him to ensure there were no observers.

Draco said nothing

Raising Draco's wand high, Tom slashed the air in a line at the trunk. With a thundering CRACK the tree split in two.

"Accio box" Tom said, waving his wand once more

From within the deep confines of the trunk twenty or more feet up a small metal box roughly the length of Draco's hand came flying towards him and Tom caught it, his icy fingers sliding over the bent edges as he examined the half-century old box.

"looks to be in good condition to me" Tom whispered to himself

Flicking open the latch he opened the box, thumbing through the various small, bottled herbs and samples of hair contained within. The split oak tree gave way to its injuries and split in two completely, crashing to the ground. After taking a quick inventory of its contents he closed the box with a rusty 'snap' and slipped it in his robe pocket, walking away before anyone caught him by the dying tree.

After several long minutes, and after Tom's footsteps had carried him halfway to the castle, Draco finally spoke up.

"_So, what exactly do you plan on doing with that tin of herbs?"_ Draco asked at an attempt of a casual query

"_Don't you mean 'who am I going to use something terrible on next?'" _Tom asked the boy as he reached the stone step pathway

"_Yes"_ Draco replied after a moment. He could feel the amusement rising in Tom's mood. IF there was one thing he learned about the boy, it was that Tom Riddle loved to boast.

"_Well, one of these plants in the tin-"_ and at that Tom patted his robe where the box was concealed _"-is a very potent herb, which is most effective in inducing a….heavy infatuation for someone. In this case, it will be me."_

Draco scowled "_And how do you think you'll manage that?" _he asked Tom

"_All she needs to do is take the potion and then she will be attracted to the first person she sees. It will be over quickly. She cannot resist me."_ Tom explained

Draco groaned _"And what happened to this 'make her fall in love with me slowly' bit?"_ he asked

"_It is taking too long. At the end of this month I shall be reunited with my current self. Who knows what will happen. I will be far too busy to take Ginevra for myself so it must happen now." _Tom said shortly. Fear flooded Draco's mind. He would not back down, that the boy knew.

"_Problem is I need the exact potion from the library. I do not recall it"_ Tom spoke up.

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wouldn't be immediate.

"_Do not be so relieved, boy"_ Tom said snidely_. "It's to the restricted section we go and then we will find Ginevra and find a way to kill Harry Potter if at all possible before the Solstice."_ Having reached the doors to the castle Tom opened them and swept through, taking long strides towards the grand staircase, and to the fourth floor where the library was.

Tom closed the fourth floor corridor door behind him and headed towards the large double doors that housed the knowledge of the school. At several feet away, however, the doors opened, a familiar ginger exiting, her frenzied face half-covered by her hair and her hand. Draco could tell that she did not see them as she ran past them blindly, groping for the nearest, to Draco's knowledge, empty room.

At the slam of the door Tom remained still, his mind processing what he just saw.

"_How utterly convenient"_ said Draco sarcastically

"_It seems fortune is smiling upon us today, Draco. That is to say, it is smiling upon myself, of course."_ Tom said smugly

"_Are you going to go get her now?"_ Draco asked, after a beat.

"_No, you dolt. I must get the spell first. But did you not see? She was crying. She'll be in there awhile. Plenty of time for her to sober up so I can give her something proper to cry about."_ Tom said with a wicked air in his thoughts, his ideas of what to do to make the pretty girl cry more than she was making Draco feel very nauseous indeed.

Clearly not caring for how Draco took his mental display Tom reached the library doors at last and pressed his open palm against the door and pushed, knocking over the Hufflepuff that got in his way and he promptly made a beeline towards the Restricted Section, unaware that Harry Potter sat only feet away and quite unprotected.

An hour later Tom exited the library, a thin tome in his hand.

"So, let's get this shite started" cursed Tom aloud as he skirted past a Professor who was entering

"Watch your language, young Malfoy!" scolded Professor Sinistra, her eyes scrunching in confusion when she saw he was alone. As Tom turned the corner without apologizing she made 'hrmmph!' sound and entered the library.

Tom pocketed the book in his inside robes as Draco droned in his head

"_Tom do you really have to do this? I mean, seriously, you don't have to give her a potion or herb or anything! And here I thought you were talented enough without the cheap trickery for you to –"_

"_This conversation is /over/, boy"_ Tom said acidly and he waited until a group of Slytherins passed him before pushing open the door that he observed Ginny run into only an hour previously. Blinking rapidly, the boy tried to quickly become accustomed to the darkness of the room as he closed the door behind him, looking for any sign of her, perhaps huddled up in a corner of the dusty room, her tears pitter pattering on the stone floor.

"Draco?" came a familiar voice to his right. Tom turned his head and began to recognize her silhouette as his eyes adjusted.

Ginny stepped out of the shadows and gave him an embarrassed smile, tear streaks still smudging her face

"What are you doing here?" she asked

Tom put his hands behind his back, his wand in his left. Uttering a silent spell he conjured a goblet, then, after another quiet spell, filled it with water.

Shoving his wand into the back of his pants for the moment he brought his hands to his front, holding the chilly glass of water out to Ginny

"Here…I saw you come in here and thought you might be thirsty"

As Ginny reached for the water and brought the goblet to her lips, the corner of his lips curled into a smirk.

Chapter 11 coming soon, folks! Please comment.


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